Upgradable Weapons

[_____________Shashie]

This is more of a question/suggestion than anything.....

First off, why can't we upgrade our weapons? For example, right now, at the year 2002, we can put a silencer on a sniper rifle to reduce its sound, we can put a scope on the rifle to increase its range and our chance of landing a shot to the head.

In AO, it is now the year 25000 or something like that. Yet people are using factory made weapons? In my opinion, weapons should have a few upgradable slots like Magazine ( ammo cap ), the two above upgrades, AP/other bullets ( like in the fallout 2 and fallout tactics), and many more stuff. This game, in its current state, have so much to offer in tradeskill items. It would be nice if we could just find a use for those tradeskill items that we pick up in missions or other places. It would also add another purpose to using weapon creation kits, as they might be coded to also be weapon modifiers and such. If that was to be implemented, however, it should be strictly engineers only, with high mechanical/electrical engineering reqs, along with the quantum and weapon smithing, so that agents in FP can stil use them too, but few would actually spent the IP, therefore securing a market for us engineers.

Seriously, engineers need more than just their tedious looking bots to be unique/different from others/useful. ( except for the slayerdriod, in fact, the ability to self summon slayers at high levels is probably the only motivation rite now for me to keep playing my engineer. )

Lastly, this is just a side note, as on the other day, I saw a high level gm engineer ( 300 ) who had the title: Nobel Prize Engineer, or something like that. So if that engi won a Nobel prize, and therefore be called a NB enginner, then that engi must have created/discovered something that is truly unique. So my question is...... what did that gm do to deserve the title NB engi? Should normal engis also be given the ability to discover/create stuff that would eventually earn them a NB prize? Would be an interesting addition.......

[coldwarkid]

Thinking in terms of what would be simple to implement (and therefore, what we're most likely to get if we ask for it), a means of changing the QL of a weapon would be relatively simple to do, since you're just changing a value in a database field. You'll need to create a new item to do it, but Funcom never really have a problem with that unless the proposed item's a gamebreaker.

Having scopes, silencers etc. that change the abilities of the weapon in other ways would be harder, since you'll actually have to change your database structure to accomodate it. Not impossible by any means, but it's a lot more work.

I do think that engineers should have some way to upgrade existing gear. I'd propose upgrade and maintainance kits (ie. pistol kit, cyber armour kit etc.) with a toolkit which acts like a portable surgery clinic - activate it and you've got 30 seconds to apply kits to items. It might be engineer only, or might act like the new fixer tool and be useable by all professions, but give a nice tradeskill boost to engineers. Enough to keep us ahead of the game, and make engineers the people you go to when you want your gear upgraded or maintained.

If you were to implement your idea (and it's a good one, just harder to implement), I suppose you'd be looking at adding special attack options etc. so that a silencer allowed aimed shots or a special pistol grip allowed fling. Any specific ideas you had in mind?

Cheers,

~R~

[_____________Shashie]

This is like a wish list, just like the other thread called Gadgets. They will probably never ever be implemented into the game, given how FunCom had been ignoring/nerfing engineers from the start all the way until now, and will continue to do so in the future. Nothing we can do about it, it's just the way FunCom is.

But then again, hope is still there.....

[coldwarkid]

Oh, well, if it's a wish-list then I completely agree with you

Rather than specific upgradeable slots (magazine, sight etc.), how about using the same system that implants use, and have one faded, one shining and one bright expansion slot? A lot more free-form, and it forces you to make some choiced when designing the ultimate upgraded gun.

Cheers,

~R~