Smoker: Two Versus Buffs I'd Like To See

[elevator13]

These both pertain to the Survivor the Smoker is strangling:

-If the Survivor is being dragged, they should not collide with common Infected; it's pretty annoying snagging a Survivor from a distance while the rest of the team is unaware of them, but a single zombie standing between me and him shouldn't stop me from getting a good drag

-Survivors should not be able to free a Survivor by melee while they are being dragged, only constricted/hanging; the one-second of not being able to melee the Survivor barely does anything against corner-camping and melee spam. However, you would still be able to shoot the tongue/Smoker to free a Survivor being dragged.

An example to illustrate why I'd like to see this:

A Boomer vomits on the Survivors, and they all crowd in to a corner. The Smoker manages to snare someone through the horde (thanks March 11 update), but the Survivor isn't dragged off because the horde is blocking him. The other Survivors free him inadvertently by melee-spamming and you get 5 damage in and a 15-second recharge.

[Damen]

I like your idea as it has been brought up before. Valve hit on the fact that you can no longer melee them of until they are unable to shoot while being dragged. However I think that time should be even lengthier.

I don't like the idea of not being able to melee them off at all because in certain points the tongue and/or the smoker is in a hard place to shoot, either because of weapon choice, or plain positioning. Also, while in the heat of battle and getting hit by regular infected you cannot aim worth of crap which would make removing them from the smoker almost impossible until you killed all the infected hitting you.

So maybe just making the time before they can melee them off longer would do in my books.

[Kisho]

The common infected acting as a block is a blessing and a curse. You're not doing as much damage while they're stuck there, but the infected are smacking away, so it kindof makes up for that. Plus, if you happen to snag one around the corner and they get stuck, you have a much better chance to get away once they finally free their buddy.

As for not being able to melee off while dragging, there's no way they'd allow that when there are still instant kills like pulling off the side of cliffs and such in Blood Harvest, or off the edge of the building in NM.

[elevator13]

If the Smoker was on a roof or something, it would only take a couple of seconds for the Survivor to be dragged to them at which point they would be hanging/constricted and melee-able. If the two other Survivors give you cover from the horde, you should be able and melee the hanged Survivor within a couple of seconds.

[SlyOutplayed]

I think the smoker needs a missile launcher as well.

Hmmm, thats not constructive. The smoker right now is as powerful as he should ever be. If you cannot see that then you are not using him correctly. His use when they are meleespamming after a boomer is not neccesarily tos eperate one but to STOP ONE FIRING through the crowd of infected. If you are smoking them INFRONT OF THE MELEE SPAM then you are DOING IT WRONG.

If he could pull one out of position THROUGH the infected then it would mean the whole team would have to run out and save him, leaving them completely open and disorganized to hunters etc.

Right now you have boomer then smoker double hunter, or smoker then boomer double hunter. Either way results in 3 people unable to fire or help and one person being required to save the others whilst under the influence of puke.

What you are asking for is game breaking. And considering a boomer explosion doesn't break the tongue as well as hunter pushes (pouncing the person going to save him) you can seperate through the infected easy enough if you know what you are doing.

This thread seems idiotic on so many levels.

Edit: Oh and shooting the tongue is the easiest way to stop the smoker, it's never in a that hard position to shoot considering your teammate is INVUNERABLE and bullets PENETRATE him. Open up a can of whoop ass to get him saved if he's not close enough to melee it's really not that complicated.

[l4dfan]

i like smoker how he is, but tweaks are welcome. as long as they're not shitty. /reallyinsightfulpost

[Damen]

Edit: Oh and shooting the tongue is the easiest way to stop the smoker, it's never in a that hard position to shoot considering your teammate is INVUNERABLE and bullets PENETRATE him. Open up a can of whoop ass to get him saved if he's not close enough to melee it's really not that complicated.

I hope you are not point that edit towards me implying that I don't know how to free a person from a smoker.

[Grieverlionhart]

your 2nd idea blocks an achievment, but meh they can just stick that to single player somehow, I admit though I fucking hate the smoker, he doesnt lock on right and his tounge snaps most of the time without cause

[silverx2]

the smokers toung needs to pull at a faster speed like in the old previews. as a result it reloads either slow or not at all after it breaks.

[Nemesis_vs_Leon]

I hope you are not point that edit towards me implying that I don't know how to free a person from a smoker.
I always shoot smokers and hunters while we're being rushed by massive hordes and even with a tank in there. No bad positioning has ever truly come up unless they're way far ahead or behind by themselves with a horde preventing us from getting to them.

I love not being able to melee them until they're actually being choked or hanged.

[Damen]

I always shoot smokers and hunters while we're being rushed by massive hordes and even with a tank in there. No bad positioning has ever truly come up unless they're way far ahead or behind by themselves with a horde preventing us from getting to them.

I love not being able to melee them until they're actually being choked or hanged.

I also agree that not being able to melee them until they were stopped at either regular infected or a smoker/hanging.

However the person mentioned not being able to melee them at all while hanging and that you could only shoot them. I said this would be difficult if a horde was hitting you because it makes your crosshairs go crazy.

[SlainPwner666]

I get yelled at this all of the time for this, but I always prioritize a smoker over a hunter or boomer. Sometimes over a tank. One bad [In a good way douches] smoker pull can fuck a team over, while the hunter relies on his fellow infected, and simply the smoker also provides a distraction for the hunter to get in more swipes

[SlyOutplayed]

I hope you are not point that edit towards me implying that I don't know how to free a person from a smoker.


No i'm not implying you don't know how, but i'm saying his invunerability makes it easier to shoot then melee if you get your team to focusfire where you see his name (through the boom) enough for him to be freed (unless you use an AR for versus, i only use AS/pump action which isn't that affected by hordes, especially if you left click then right quickly, so by the second shot you're being hit alot less).

I get yelled at this all of the time for this, but I always prioritize a smoker over a hunter or boomer. Sometimes over a tank.

Imo thats the right priority, a hunter/smoker can do alot more damage then a tank if the tank can seperate you.

In my mind when a tank is chasing you it goes: Boomer, Flaming hunter/smoker - both as important as eachother, hunter who has pounced someone, horde/small amount of infected chasing someone, tank, hunter.

The tanks so low because without the others he is useless.

[elevator13]

However the person mentioned not being able to melee them at all while hanging and that you could only shoot them.

"Survivors should not be able to free a Survivor by melee while they are being dragged, only constricted/hanging;"

:?

[Icewolf]

Smoker improvements:

- Faster tongue pull, not necessary
- Not sticking to common
- More damage done
- Tongue produces incent like Boomer's bile, where it attracts local zombies, or a partial amount of them.

[Cnd_Beaver]

i say if the survivors get into a corner and melee spam, the infected should not full out attack. playing infected is not about being able to over whelm the survivors at every point(cuz then we wouldn't have a game). it's about hitting them at their weakest, that is blind, on the move, separated, distracted or not paying attention. you have to pick your battles and realize when to stay put, retreat and attack

now being able to pull survivors through a crowd would be nice, even at a reduced rate, but it is not a needed change, you can kill all 4 survivors 10 feet from the safehouse or they can all make it through, it's all about situation and timing