Shameless copy from Inxile Forums:
1. Ambushing
There should be a better way to ambush enemies, the "aim at" option is too limited.
- Rangers should be able to switch to overwatch even out of combat. Maybe with a aggressive/passive toggle, so they will shoot enemies if in sight or wait for a specific order.
- Enhanced positioning. Rangers should be able to move into cover even out of combat. Prone stance as a logical conclusion to crouching. ALSO PLEASE let them stay in their current stance if starting combat. Wasting 2 AP every time to re-crouch my dudes gets old very fast.
- As a countermeasure/added difficulty, enemies should be able to see and hear you much earlier. Right now its too easy to sneak up to them and shoot them in the back. Make full use of the vision cone system - if you want to ambush enemies you need to scout out their patrol routes and move into place when they cant see/hear you (Perception skill), maybe even in small groups - if you move all at once you are far more detectable. If you are detected->combat mode/conversation and no more skulking around.
- If you are able to disable one enemy while ambushing silently, combat shouldnt start automatically.
- Silencers: I dont know, Ive found a silencer without any stats in my current game. I wonder..?
2. AI
Its good enough imho, but combat would be more fun and challenging with a few tweaks and without the need to artificially bloat damage or HP.
- Wasting AP by moving around to much (had that too, seemed like a pathing issue?).
- Sometimes too cautious, hides behind cover or in ambush mode without really putting pressure on you, which enables you to kill them one by one.
- On the other side, sometimes does stupid moves like rushing you without the ability to fight back properly.
- Targeting: they stubbornly try to get to one guy/kill one guy without any respect for their own life.
- I think human enemies should have some basic tactical understandig: fight aggressively if having the advantage of numbers (trying to flank you while moving from cover to cover), fight defensively if outnumbered or badly hurt.
- Also, melee fighters always should try to advance under cover, save for some crazy junkies who might rush you.
3. general combat suggestions
- Throwing skill. Makes sense in a resourceless wasteland and is fun. I loved to spear Enclave soldiers to death.
- Simplistic aimed shot system. Options: head, torso, arms, legs, with the torso being the "standard" shot. On a successful hit, randomly decide if a status effect applies, then randomly apply one of several effects.
- In addition to above, let skilled human fighters like DBM (you know, they are tactical and all) also use aimed shots. Again, bigger challenge without bloating enemy stats.
- More serious afflictions. Getting your rangers hurt or even downed should have far more consequences then "get a coffee and continue playing". Broken bones/brain damage is permanent until magically healed by an auto doc (whops, wrong game). Small chance to get fatal wounds/internal bleeding if you get huge alpha damage, like a rocket to your face. Maybe Im over the top here, but Im just suggesting
- Edit: Remembered Chance to hit, its too easy to get to 100% in my opinion, especially under cover. Maybe make the +CtH under cover a very common, but random buff? Role play wise, you may argue that you cant always aim better just if you are under cover.
- Edit 2: I thought about some kind of simplistic fire suppression system, but I think that would be too compliceted or time consuming to implement (?)
Above just to emphasize a point - the game could be so much better and fun with a few small, additional features. To be honest, Im in the same boat as a lot of people here, the game feels unfinished. They improved it a lot since the last update, but the general feel, the consitency and the suspension of disbelief arent strong in this one. Many areas feel empty and "just there because they are there", there arent a lot of POIs or interactable objects (you know, "use science on a computer to gain a few insights on the lore"-type interactions) except for a few handplaced ones. Feels more like Mass Effect straight railroading level design without much to discover next to the rails.
There arent a lot of interesting NPCs - most are the typical MMO questgiver. I havent played Fallout since...5 years?, and I still remember NPCs like the slaver dude, the barmaid and the trader in Klamath or the ghouls from the nuclear plant. All of them not tied into the main story, and still I remember them because they had spirit, character and traits that made them unique. Ive never met one NPC in Wasteland 2 with that qualities except that ranger-hating dude from Highpool and those nuclear monks - therfore all those crazy ass, polarizing characters.
The points above should underline another point which irritates me; combat is far too bland for a game which heavily emphasizes on combat.
Which leads to my last complaint - the game will have no replayability, except maybe 1-2 times. Fallout and Wasteland 1 both kept me busy more than 5 years, not because of the story - if you played them through 3 times, you knew it all. But because of the diverse combat (yes, even Fallout) where you were able to build schock troopers, heavy dudes, shotgunners, energy laser plasma murder scientists, nice guys, melee guys, juggernauts, snipers, medics,...Wasteland 2 in contrast has a rather small weapon pool, not even distinct specialized ammo and far too many NPC slots - in the end, you will end up with using next to all weapons and weapon types.
Together with the uninspiered combat there wont be a lot to discover anymore. Which is a shame.
