Idea Archer Rework: Marked for Death

This actually has a lot of potential.

 

I feel like archer in its current state in both the competitive scene and in (most) casual games isn't as problematic as it used to be, and asking an archer to land two headshots in a row, even on someone who is unable to sprint, can be difficult especially if it's against a class with other mobility options.

While this doesn't take away its ability to snipe flag carriers from a distance, I feel like it can still really hinder its crowd control ability.

 

This is a very good idea! I do wonder though...would the Archer who landed the first snipe-distance-but-no-kill shot (causing the flag be dropped) be granted the same credits that are granted for a flag carrier KILL though? Because most of my favorite Archer moments are when an enemy grabs my team's flag and my team has trouble catching up during the chase and one of my shots from way behind happens to land a snipe so the team can quickly close the gap and return the flag before the enemy's teammates scoop it up again. Moments like them are a huge part of why I was able to obtain the premium classes that I have today sooner than it would've been otherwise.

A tiny issue with it would be the potential to get twice as many credits for first marking them, and then sniping them dead after they scoop the flag up again since it could register twice that way. An issue if it would NOT grant any credits from the first shot is that it would nerf the Archer's credit earning potential for defending if a SECOND snipe shot is required before the charging teammates take down a marked flag carrier and get in the way of the Archer's arrows in the meantime (and only if that enemy manages to scoop the flag back up and continue going with it).

That said, it would do away with Archer flag carrier kill advantage in case that's an issue that gets occasional complaints. Personally I find the shots can be tricky to predict and actually land, and they don't happen for me often enough to feel unfair...especially compared to a recovery class like Assassin.

 

what if any damage to a marked player killed them

 

maybe they could code it to be dependent on the recovery? so that 15 seconds after you "knock" the flag from the carrier, the game waits for a recovery, and only then would it give you the carrier kill credits - or if nobody picks it up. if another enemy picks it up, the timer stops and doesn't give the credits.

another alternative could be for the game to check if you're shooting a marked player. you get the carrier kill for the knock, but if they pick it up again (or another marked player picks it up) then you don't receive the credits.

 

I like this idea to increase the skill level required for Archer, making gameplay much more calculated and strategical since you need to land two hits to effectively remove a player. A player getting headshot for 0 damage doesn't make much sense despite the whole mark concept though; I would still make the initial headshot deal somewhere around 5 hearts of true damage, with the marked headshots do the entire health bar to "finish the job". It could throw balancing off though, so it could be better to keep the 1 shot.

 

If archers arrows were coded without that slight rng it has then sure, but essentially needing to headshot the same person twice just to kill them is too much of a nerf imo.