Repair tool should be better
Probably one of the more least mentioned topics from beta, but enough of a gripe for me. I played a few rounds with my friend, where he was the pilot on a chopper while I was on a passenger seat ...
Forum Discussion
This was by design and is a very good thing. The repair tool has been in need of reform for a long time. In V it was supposed to provide you with a means to repair your vehicle to full health outside of supply depots while in 1, 3 and 4 it was there to provide a means to get repaired at a faster rate than waiting for auto repair. What ended up happening though is that it was used for near instant damage nullification and damage sponging. I talk more about it in this post if you are interested:
https://www.reddit.com/r/battlefield2042/comments/o9lxi2/repairing_the_repair_tool/
- @rainkloud Wait, there was a repair tool in V, i didnt even know.. i hated having to sit there and hold a button to repair the bluddy thing.
- @nickmajic Yup, Support, Pilots and Tanker could all use it, including offensively against enemy vehicles lol.
@rainkloudYeah BF V's repair mechanics were so weird.
If you were in a dogfight you could perpetually fly around the 'ammo' depot and never die, no matter how many times the enemy pilot shot you, by the time they had done almost enough damage to kill you, you would already have your 'instant repair' ready. It was so poorly designed.
Glad that 'instant repair' mechanic is not returning but nonetheless, the repair tool needs to be buffed and balanced accordingly to justify needing an entire 'gadget slot'.
- @S3SSioN_SoL No it most certainly does not. the repair tool in its 2042 "beta" form is pretty well balanced and provides a ***definite and demonstrable advantage over waiting for auto repair to kick in.*** It's a niche gadget that is great for drivers or passengers, but it is not nor should it be expected to be the dominant choice among gadgets. We have to remember that there will likely be around 10 options for gadgets so assuming even distribution of gadgets among players that would be about 6 per 64 man team. So yes you're likely not going to see a ton of them in the wild, but that does not mean that they are under-powered.
What we want to avoid are situations where a vehicle is down to 1 HP and then is full repaired a few seconds later. And, perhaps more importantly, situations where a repair tool user can conceal themselves during a firefight and provide constant repairing such that it effectively negates all the received damage rendering the tank near immortal.@rainkloudLet me give you an example of why the repair tool is useless versus other tools. Why would I opt for a repair tool when I can take a Stinger or Recoilless and help fight my opponent. It's so much easier to use a rocket launcher to gain an advantage than it is to support your team with a repair tool. This is the problem with making the repair tool take up an entire 'gadget slot'.
Being attacked by an enemy heli? Bail and use your stinger on the attacker while your pilot attacks them. Enemy tank shooting you? Bail, run up with C5 or use your RPG. So easy, why even bother repairing anymore.
Someone is using a repair tool? Just shoot an RPG near the vehicle, they will die. A tank shell kills anyone exposed near an enemy tank, unless on the direct opposite side, even then, they are exposed to other gunfire and are not making use of the spotting or gunner seat reducing the overall efficiency of the vehicle. Passengers too easily take damage in the transport Heli, only one stinger missile has to hit the Condor and both passengers not in a gunner seat, die. Whats the point of repairing transport Heli's if you're that vulnerable and can barely repair them anyway. You practically repair them only when the Auto repair kicks in.
You will notice, that the usefulness of the repair tool is reduced by many other factors and is not dependent on just the efficiency of the repair tool itself.
By reworking the repair tool so that the amount of damage it repairs over time increases as the player repairs, you effectively restore usefulness to the tool whilst also preventing it from being abused. You will not be able to repair a tank quick enough to ensure it wins in tank fight, why because the repair rate would not be in your favor to suddenly repair the damage taken by an enemy tank's shell. The cooldown mechanic is an awful mechanic considering once again, there's so many better gadgets to pick from to win a fight. The repair rate increase over time also addresses many of your concerns with buffing the repair tool.
Auto repair is so situational, if you were flying away and a pistol caliber bullet hits you, the entire repair time is extended.
As it stands right now, most players are going to rock RPG's over any other gadget. Why would any tank driver or passenger even bother with a repair tool if they can just use a RPG between tank shots.
I'd also like to point out that the repair tool's cool down, is dependent on the player having the tool equipped. So if you repaired a vehicle, you have to keep the repair tool in your hand for it to cool down, if you switch to your primary, the cool down will remain exactly where you left it when you switch back. This is arguably broken and not intuitive, why do repair tool users need to be nerfed this much in the face of how many more Rocket launcher users there will now be in the game. Gunners and spotters must now wait outside for however longer so that their repair tools can be ready when they need it again, is this really 'intuitive' game play that belongs in a Battlefield game where vehicular warfare is a key element.
I understand your concerns but I feel my suggestions address them entirely.
