On 7/5/2024 at 11:12 PM, meganoth said:
Having to use a gun of a different spec may be a disadvantage for your combat abilites. Which is exactly what I am saying, INT is not the strongest combat class, intentionally. If you want a combat heavy class take something else. If you take INT either pay that tax (which will help you in mid/end-game as well, it isn't really wasted if you continue to use that gun) or don't, the difference is there, but there are lots of ways to decrease the risk. Play slower and use spike traps for safety, quest and loot tier 1 POIs, in other words, act like the squishy class you are.
In my group game the INT player could build his first turret on day 5, on the same day I increased AGI to 3 and increased guns from 1 to 2. So if you as the INT player had invested one point into whatever gun you liked as well, until that day 5 you would just miss a few percent of headshot kill percentage you can't rely on for safety and probably have a worse gun while I could craft a quality 4 pipe gun. If you can't handle that measly difference, just avoid INT.
If you want to reply that you are single player and the example doesn't fit, well, in my SP game I invested in a lot more other perks, for example one point into miner69er, farming and wrenching. I didn't even have the points to invest much into my attribute at all and my gun was only a tier 1 pistol because I got lucky with a toilet, which could happen to anyone, including the INT player. Without that my gun would have been less than quality 4 at day 5.
(I don't have any say in this, but for arguments sake:) No, that tax is there because the INT player is stronger on utility and with that ultimately balanced. Don't want to play a character strong on utility? Then go for something else.
AFAIK the workbench can be crafted from day 1.
We will see whether TFP reacts. My guess is they are perfectly fine with it as it is, like many players here are who see it just as a challenge. In my view, if they really add a gun to INT they would have to massively nerf all the turrets and the stun baton to not make INT into an overpowered class, something that might sour your happines with late-game INT as well. Even now end-game INT is rather too strong on combat for a supposedly utility class, as you say yourself.
One other suggestion for you: The perk point redistribution potion was largely reduced in price and often can be found in loot as well. If you don't like early-game INT, simply spec into a different attribute and respec when the time is right.
Well at least you agree it's a tax, lol.
Adding primitive versions of what INT will do later wont change the endgame balance at all.
INT pre Stun Baton and Junk Turret is an entirely different experience. Its this period that needs some TLC.
I called out needing the Workbench along with your Tech books to make the Sledge because everyone else gets to make a gun in their pocket, so a primitive Sledge turret also made in ones pocket using Wood, fiber, springs and stone but can only punch directly forward with a terrible RoF would at least allow INT to utilise the Robotics perk immediately, as others get to do with their respective gun perks.
INT doesn't have a themed ranged experience, unless you count putting down a turret and twiddling your thumbs as an experience, lol
While i am most annoyed at having to pay a tax to get a decent gun, part of my request is motivated by that lack of theme. Any gun you pick is just going have you playing like a gimped version of the associated tree while using it.
Why not provide INT with a unique ranged option?
Electrical traps are heavily under utilized in general gameplay as theyre all base bound items and typically not a feature in most bases due to the resource sink of maintaining them.
So why not utilize the trap exp on Advanced Engineering, tie a trap effectiveness bonus to Robotics and give INT a trap launcher for its ranged option.
Firing small deployable, short lived traps at range. Much like Pipe Guns, it'd have a bad reload and RoF, and can even have it only capable of launching primitive traps, necessitating upgrading it to a proper T1 version later to use more advanced traps.
Since 'utility' is the buzzword for denying a dedicated gun to INT, Keep the traps utility flavored mostly, With damage being a secondary effect on the triggered traps.
You could have these be anything really.
Why not have some 'ammo' options for it be things like a deployable beartrap that locks a zombie in place and applies a bleed for a short duration. (Bonus for teamplay if allies couldnt trigger such traps)
Perhaps launching a speaker to continously attract zombies to investigate an area to setup a killbox.
Basically, small and non recoverable versions of what we typically have as base defense traps. No more difficult to craft than bullets for standard guns with primitive Iron, wood and stone versions to use in the Pipe Gun era.
Could really get as creative as you want without having them be outright zombie killers.
You can do a whole lot with the invention/robotics theme that INT has without applying raw power to it.