Nul Combas Are Unfair

[Tizodd]

I doubt this thread will have any affect, but I'd like to complain anyway.

Nul Combas are really annoying.  Imo the most annoying Corpus enemy...and that's saying a lot.  They're basically Nullifiers but without a visible bubble to avoid or shoot.  They dodge extremely fast when you try to shoot them as well.  I just died twice with Ivara because a Nul Comba was at the bottom of an elevator I had to ride in order to complete the mission.  It was a fissure mission so he was there with Bombards, Nullifiers, etc.  As soon as the elevator door opened I was 'bombarded' by every enemy outside the elevator as I struggled to try and pinpoint where the Nul Comba was.

Frames like Ivara and Loki have low defenses.  They depend on invisibility and other abilities to keep themselves alive.  Nullifiers are bad enough.  Do we really need Nul Combas too?  There's no visible warning, and you're often left defenseless in a mob of enemies as you struggle to find the Comba or get away from the area.

The other Combas are okay imo.  They can prevent you from using certain abilities and sometimes make you switch up your gameplan a bit to handle them.  But Nul Combas all but shut down certain frames just by being in the area.  Even Fog Combas are fine: they prevent you from casting Prowl, Invisibility, Smokescreen, etc., but if you're already invisible, you have a bit of time to locate and kill the Fog Comba before you're exposed.

I really hope [DE] either removes Nul Combas from the game, makes their aura visible like Nullifiers, or maybe adds some type of timer before your ability is canceled...that would at least give the player a bit of time to find the Comba and kill it.

-Rant over-

[Xzorn]

Their sound effect warning could use a revisit, they screwed it up with the distance sound changes.

Ever since that sound rework they're harder to hear and often from the wrong direction they're approaching.

Though, since DE likes to enforce line of sight on players. I don't see a reason to allow enemies to bypass such rules.

Other than some small tweaks though, they seem fine.

[DrBorris]

Just give them LoS and an AoE vfx similar to Equinox's Pacify/Provoke (wispy lines).

[(XBOX)poodlebingo 65]

I agree, the last Sortie to assassinate Ambulas was made, almost, impossible by these things.

ps Yet another moan from me. Reward for soloing( yes, my choice etc) this bloody thing........Orokin Reactor BP

[Little-Cunny]

I think their nullifying is pretty fair considering that they can be disarmed. Their HUD scramble can have reduced range to make it easier.  But really, it's their Angstrums and Detrons.

[Prany]

2 hours ago, Slendy-Broseph said:

I think their nullifying is pretty fair considering that they can be disarmed.

Can it be reliably disarmed before it can nullify our abilities. I'd say no. Nullifiers can be delt before they can lay a finger on our space magic, but everyone *@##$es and moans about them. Combas are designed so much more poorly - no attention grabbing, undistinct visuals and no indicator for their field of effect - yet so many people give praise to them. If I play Nova or Nyx, it's all fine, but I get punished for no reason by picking Mesa, Chroma, Loki or any other frame with diration abilities.

Edited May 7, 2017 by Prany

[Slaviar]

I think people don't complain about them because they are rare. I don't recall seeing them often in sorties and on lower level they aren't problem.

Still, I hate them much, much more than nullifiers. Usually when I meet them I hear this annoying beeping they make and one second later my HUD is scrambled and my key abilities disabled. I'd rather face five nullifier with ten techs under their bubbles.

[Tizodd]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who's aggravated by these things (misery loves company I guess lol).  I fully expected some "git gud" comments, but mostly people seem to be in agreeance.  Like I said...my issue is only with the Nul Comba, not the other Comba variants.  Nul Combas render the player completely defenseless with little-to-no warning.  They're especially annoying for a person like me who generally plays with the volume a bit low because others are around.

Nul Combas are essentially a more annoying version of a Nullifier; in other words...they're redundant and not needed imo.  Hopefully [DE] reassesses the need to have them in the game.  Many frames have low defenses and depend on abilities for survivability.  An enemy that can completely remove those defenses just by being in the area, is extremely aggravating.  They also skate around the map quickly, so avoiding them or trying to stay outside of their range to snipe them is often really difficult on many Corpus maps because of doors closing and blocking your line-of-sight when you get too far.

[moon.boots]

The roller derby enemies seem like they came from a place of wanting to be fairer nullifiers (with how they're more limited on what abilities they can disable) but they've ironically become more unfair thanks to their lack of clear influence and difficult identification.

There's no bubble to clearly define their range; the only indication of being affected is the scrambled HUD, at which point you're already defenseless. The player has little chance to predict, counter, or attempt to engage on their own terms.

The other issue is that, between Scrambus and Comba variants, you're left with 8 extremely similar-looking units. Nullifiers are a big threat, but they have a distinct silhouette and unmistakable visual effect in their bubble. There is nothing else you could possibly confuse a Nullifier with. Nul Combas, on the other hand, look nearly identical to 7 other units. Their only visual difference is the helmet and they're such fast-paced enemies that they're rarely sitting still long enough for you to get a good look at them.

I'd like to see them get a visual rework. I think some more clearly defined powers and not looking like 7 other units would help a lot.

[Little-Cunny]

On 5/8/2017 at 3:08 AM, Tizodd said:

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who's aggravated by these things (misery loves company I guess lol).  I fully expected some "git gud" comments, but mostly people seem to be in agreeance.  Like I said...my issue is only with the Nul Comba, not the other Comba variants.  Nul Combas render the player completely defenseless with little-to-no warning.  They're especially annoying for a person like me who generally plays with the volume a bit low because others are around.

Nul Combas are essentially a more annoying version of a Nullifier; in other words...they're redundant and not needed imo.  Hopefully [DE] reassesses the need to have them in the game.  Many frames have low defenses and depend on abilities for survivability.  An enemy that can completely remove those defenses just by being in the area, is extremely aggravating.  They also skate around the map quickly, so avoiding them or trying to stay outside of their range to snipe them is often really difficult on many Corpus maps because of doors closing and blocking your line-of-sight when you get too far.

But seriously, when they have Angstrums or Detrons, you're gonna have a bad time... 

[Mudfam]

Normally I would advocate for anything that increases difficulty, but in this case I have to agree that these are just unfair. In many situations they are pretty much just RNG death, they can ruin your day while remaining completely hidden.

To top it off, disruption is bugged. I've sometimes been left with a scrambled UI or the inability to use powers for the rest of the mission.

I do think the only reason why we don't see this complaint coming up every day is because they're rare.

[CoffeeMonster42]

And why is this scrambled UI a thing, it nothing but annoying and adds nothing to gameplay.

[JalakBali]

Yea, I noticed they spawned more often now. It's like DE is compensating for nerfing Nullifiers (weakpoint, faster bubble recession). They're as bad as energy leech enemies. And I even have a simple way to make these enemies more fair:

- Energy leech enemies: just give them a sapping energy wave linking themselves and the warframe whose energy they're draining. It's pretty much like Trinity's Link but red colored. This way you can easily see you're being drained and where is the dumbbutt draining you so you could either kill them or get away.

- Combas: should be similar. Except the energy link line starts as a thin wispy blue line and it grows bigger or more glowy the longer you're within range. Within 2 seconds, the power reached its max and you'd get nullified. This way you know you're being affected by a Comba and you have to move or get nullified.

 

All of the ideas I mentioned above does not reduce the danger or effectiveness of the enemies. They would only add a clear indicator what is happening to you and who is the culprit.

[Yhonix]

The only thing I dislike about cobas and scrambas is that they F*** with my UI. Everything else about them is fantastic.

More challenge is good.

[ScribbleClash]

I dislike their inconsistency on removing buffs. One of the most upsetting is losing all your buffs on Titania, as it takes quite some time to amass then again.

[Tizodd]

8 hours ago, JalakBali said:

...Combas: should be similar. Except the energy link line starts as a thin wispy blue line and it grows bigger or more glowy the longer you're within range. Within 2 seconds, the power reached its max and you'd get nullified. This way you know you're being affected by a Comba and you have to move or get nullified...

Sounds like a reasonable compromise, but the time would need to be increased to 5 seconds.  Low defense frames are pretty much D.O.A. if a high level Corpus Tech gets a lock on them.  I don't think 2 seconds would be enough time to find and kill the Nul Comba before you're left completely vulnerable, and ultimately dead.

I honestly wish [DE] would just remove Nul Combas from the game entirely, but I doubt that will happen.

[Little-Cunny]

Seriously, give them glowing helmets.

[(XBOX)CannyJack]

They're just one more reason not to fight the Corpus -- along with Sapping Ospreys, Techs, Nullies, and Ratels. 

[JalakBali]

On 5/11/2017 at 0:30 AM, Slendy-Broseph said:

Seriously, give them glowing helmets.

Sadly that's not enough since they might be right around the corner or behind obstacle. You often don't see them before you get the BZZT effect and lost all your buffs.