So I played 15m of Huttball today in NYCC as a Sniper.

[vizzle]

About this part... this means that we'll be seeing more AB cliff/EotS middle sniping, won't we?

Yeah they need to do something about those knockbacks, because anybody can rotate through their team's knockbacks to block the other side from ever getting a score, assuming they DON'T have ACs with a knockback

People need to learn not to be bad and don't stand with your back to the damn edge. Whenever I saw a Shammy in the middle of EoTS I made sure that I always knew where he was and repositioned myself if he moved so that when he did his knockback I wouldn't fall off.

[Trollsbane]

Knockbacks can knock you off catwalks and even into fire.
Stunning people while over a fire trap will work.
Grappling someone into a fire trap will work.
Charging past fire traps, or even into the scoring area will work.
Setting up a defense, like camping snipers, will work.
Unannounced abilities will work.
Misdirection and passing will work.
Teamwork will work.

There are so many things that can happen, and so many ways to counteract them, that it all should work out. It's not meant to be an easy score. You're competing for a Hutt's entertainment. It's perilous.

Tactics go a long ways, and learning them as you go will surely help put things in perspective.

[Gallahadd]

wow, sounds pretty cool, im glad that people actually bother with the ball in Huttball, it looks like the only PvP zone in Swtor I'll be interested in, and I was worried it would just end up like WSG, with 3/4 of the people sitting in the middle farming kills while a couple of people who actually KNOW what they're doing play the game properly.

as for your Sniper experience, they sound pretty cool, but yeah it does sound a bit... unwieldy.. for Huttball, maybe try Operative, the stealth/melee Dps tree, and leave Sniper for PvE/World PvP/Alderaan/basically anywhere but Huttball .

that said I'm still going to roll a Marksman Sniper for my first Dps char they sound pretty fun, I like the sound Ambush, is it sort of like the Sniper version of Aimed Shot?

[Saverem]

Thanks for the write-up. Did you use any environmental cover during your match or just the portable? I've heard that it is faster and more effective to use the environment instead but for pvp especially that will depend on placement. Just curious if there were a lot of cover points in pvp or if you generally had to use the portable kind.

Seems like the sniper could be really good paired with a melee class. Melee charges and slows while you throw out massive damage from cover so they can't charge/pull you to them. It seems like a good sniper on a good team will be amazing, but a lone sniper will likely get caught and killed pretty easily. That sounds reasonable.

BTW, conventions are usually not covered by the NDA. Some devs have come out and said that you are free to share your experience from the previous conventions so unless they specifically told you not to at NYCC I think you are safe.

Yes, there were a few environmental covers, most if not all of them were in the center of the BG. I didn't get a chance to use any of them because they were never facing the direction I wanted to shoot at.

---------- Post added 2011-10-15 at 05:30 PM ----------

wow, sounds pretty cool, im glad that people actually bother with the ball in Huttball, it looks like the only PvP zone in Swtor I'll be interested in, and I was worried it would just end up like WSG, with 3/4 of the people sitting in the middle farming kills while a couple of people who actually KNOW what they're doing play the game properly.

as for your Sniper experience, they sound pretty cool, but yeah it does sound a bit... unwieldy.. for Huttball, maybe try Operative, the stealth/melee Dps tree, and leave Sniper for PvE/World PvP/Alderaan/basically anywhere but Huttball .

that said I'm still going to roll a Marksman Sniper for my first Dps char they sound pretty fun, I like the sound Ambush, is it sort of like the Sniper version of Aimed Shot?

Ambush was definitely our hardest hitting ability. But it also had a relatively longish cooldown. I don't exactly recall the cooldown, but I'd say it was around 45s. It also had the longest casting time of any other Sniper ability.


Oh and forgot to mention something else about knockbacks in Huttball. If used by a newb (which we all were) it will actually help the other team out. Towards the end of the match one of our guys knocked the other team's ball carrier from the end of the grate all the way to the end zone ledge. Basically what they did was cause the enemy ball carrier to bypass a 50 meter grate run by having them essentially jump over the space that separates the grate walkway from the endzone. It was something rare though because even the announcer was surprised and said that he had never seen that happen before. It was pretty funny.

[Khanjin]

It seems like it will be overpowered in the hands of a ridiculously good player. It's like rogues in WoW to a lesser extent. A really bad sub rogue will suck because they don't know how to use the tools they're given. An awesome sub rogue will just be able to control people. I think Snipers in PvP would be more about control, positioning and tactics to pull off stuff like you mentioned last in your post OP. It's cool that there are a class in there like that IMO.

[torftw]

Thanks for the write up sengura. Since we can't break nda it is great being able to hear from people who can talk about their experiences. And sorry for getting stuck with the sniper, the devs have said that the cover classes take more time to get used to than other classes. And at a convention with limited time and (I assume) 0 experience with the game that can be annoying. If you don't mind though I would like to theorycraft here a bit.

Looking at the huttball map (from various convention videos) it looks like there are only 2 different paths to scoring, the upper catwalk and the middle catwalk. If you were to setup a personal shield on the upper catwalk between 2 of the firetraps it looks like you can cover everything but the lowest ground level. People will be able to run out of your range, but that is not easy being stuck on a catwalk and having to stop between firetraps. And jumping all the way down is an option but since no ball carriers are going to want to be down there it is out of the way and it slows them down. Also since as a sniper you are immune to gap closing abilities your enemies will have to run at you the long way. And with coverpulse as a last resort knockback, it sounds like a sniper could be extremely useful in that position.

[NyghtFox]

Cool thanks for the info...looking forward to seeing you all ingame!

[Saverem]

Thanks for the write up sengura. Since we can't break nda it is great being able to hear from people who can talk about their experiences. And sorry for getting stuck with the sniper, the devs have said that the cover classes take more time to get used to than other classes. And at a convention with limited time and (I assume) 0 experience with the game that can be annoying. If you don't mind though I would like to theorycraft here a bit.

Looking at the huttball map (from various convention videos) it looks like there are only 2 different paths to scoring, the upper catwalk and the middle catwalk. If you were to setup a personal shield on the upper catwalk between 2 of the firetraps it looks like you can cover everything but the lowest ground level. People will be able to run out of your range, but that is not easy being stuck on a catwalk and having to stop between firetraps. And jumping all the way down is an option but since no ball carriers are going to want to be down there it is out of the way and it slows them down. Also since as a sniper you are immune to gap closing abilities your enemies will have to run at you the long way. And with coverpulse as a last resort knockback, it sounds like a sniper could be extremely useful in that position.

Actually, I wanted to play the Sniper in PvP more than any other class, because that is what I was planning on rolling as my first class. After trying it out, I have decided to remain a Sniper... Yep, even though I felt the cover system was a hindrance in Huttball, I still really liked the Sniper. I think Snipers will be one of the best if not the best ranged burst class in the game, BUT they will have to pay for their burst by being required to stand still and behind cover. I think it's a fair trade. They also have 2 CCs (that I saw) to keep melees at bay.

I still think that Sorc/Sages will dominate in PvP though, they have ranged DPS, heals, and an AoE knockback that is really valuable there. But I'm not interested in playing a force user yet. I'll go Sniper and then roll a Trooper as my main alt.



As for the catwalks, it splits into a fork in the middle and then converges into a ramp onto the endzone. So basically there is a bottleneck area right before the endzone where people can camp and knock the ball carriers off forcing them to run all the way back to the ramp to get back on the catwalk. That's why I think knockbacks will be pretty valuable here.

[Medjai]

As for the catwalks, I'm pretty sure there were only 2 levels in that BG. The lower level (where the ball spawns) and the upper grate/catwalk level that is accessible via ramps. The cat walk splits into a fork in the middle and then converges into a ramp onto the endzone. So basically there is a bottleneck area right before the endzone where people can camp and knock the ball carriers off forcing them to run all the way back to the ramp to get back on the catwalk. That's why I think knockbacks will be pretty valuable here.

i think theres access to the scoring zone on the ground level, could have sworn in one of the vids i saw one of the empire runners scored from the ground floor, i could be mistaken though if you can that bottleneck on the ramp wont always be your teams last line of defense in pushing them back if your group had 2-4 knockbacks for that.

[Saverem]

i think theres access to the scoring zone on the ground level, could have sworn in one of the vids i saw one of the empire runners scored from the ground floor, i could be mistaken though if you can that bottleneck on the ramp wont always be your teams last line of defense in pushing them back if your group had 2-4 knockbacks for that.

There is basically 3 levels right before the endzone. The high catwalk the midlevel area (I think it was a catwalk as well) and there is also a pit area at the very bottom. When you get knocked off of the catwalk, you'll end up at the pit area. I didn't see any ramps from the pit to the score zone. I had to back track a bit and take the ramp back up to the mid area (or upper area) in order to access the score zone.

[Hulari]

HUTTBALL WAS SO MUCH DAMN FUN.

That is my contribution to this.

Not once in wow have I saw a WSG / AB loading screen and gone all giddy in my chair.

The second time I saw the huttball loading screen I went all giddy with excitement.

[Smitzelplix]

Thanks for sharing this information. I'm probably not going to be playing the Imperial Agent until much later in the game, but I'm definitely playing Smuggler as my first class. Your write up has given me some kind of an idea of what I'll be facing if I choose a talent set up that emphasizes cover like the IA sniper does.

[Jaronicity]

wow, sounds pretty cool, im glad that people actually bother with the ball in Huttball, it looks like the only PvP zone in Swtor I'll be interested in, and I was worried it would just end up like WSG, with 3/4 of the people sitting in the middle farming kills while a couple of people who actually KNOW what they're doing play the game properly.

as for your Sniper experience, they sound pretty cool, but yeah it does sound a bit... unwieldy.. for Huttball, maybe try Operative, the stealth/melee Dps tree, and leave Sniper for PvE/World PvP/Alderaan/basically anywhere but Huttball .

that said I'm still going to roll a Marksman Sniper for my first Dps char they sound pretty fun, I like the sound Ambush, is it sort of like the Sniper version of Aimed Shot?

<Snip> NDA

[Shardik]

<Snip> NDA

<Snip> I can totally understand it when you only get one game at a big convention or show, if I only got to sit down with pvp, I'd take most of the time to just fight other people and get a real feel for the combat and class.

[Lilscrappy]

Seems fun, thanks for the info.

[colester]

Seems interesting, but my only fear is people complaining once live if we hit too hard. We don't have mobility bc of it and hopefully players will realize that when I destroy them in pvp.

[Saverem]

Seems interesting, but my only fear is people complaining once live if we hit too hard. We don't have mobility bc of it and hopefully players will realize that when I destroy them in pvp.

I think every DPS class will have a hard hitting ability, and each one has a cost to using. My friend played the Sith Warrior there and he said he had a hard hitting ability too but he had to build up to it. So his cost was not being able to use it whenever he wanted, he had to use other abilities first to sort of charge it up or something. The Sniper's ability's drawback is that it requires cover and it has a 3s cast time.

[Herrenos]

Can other classes use cover as well, besides the designated cover classes? I mean sure I might not be able to DO much as a sith assassin in cover, but if I see a sniper charging his lasers can I dive behind a handy barrel?

[Chrysia]

Can other classes use cover as well, besides the designated cover classes? I mean sure I might not be able to DO much as a sith assassin in cover, but if I see a sniper charging his lasers can I dive behind a handy barrel?

Every class can LOS, but only the cover classes, the Imperial Agent and Smuggler, have a specific mechanic that allows them to take cover, gaining a defense bonus and the inability to be charged.

[Nêêla]

And yeah pvp is pretty awesome but I don´t like the sniper.Bounty hounter,sith sorcerer or juggernaut.These are my faovrites besides the jedi faction =)