028 Rapscallion [200] v1.0.3

[VladtheImpaler]

So I don't know if this is how the class was created or intended for but I'd like to mention a couple issues that seem to me to be holding the class back. You may notice almost no one is playing the class, unless like me they are wishing to level everything. Firstly the ultimate is supposed to make me invisible? Because the graphics on it when you do use it can be seen through walls. So by using my ultimate I am in essence telling the other team, HEY HERE I AM! come shoot me.

That seems to me a pretty big problem with the race. The second thing about the ultimate could just be personal opinion but....... Y have a graphic to an ultimate that makes you invisible? Was the intention to make it harder to play? It would seem to me if the ultimate graphic was removed completely it would really enhance the competitiveness of the race. Otherwise if I try to use it they see the graphic and know right where I am. AT least with Vaga you can move with your ultimate so your not it he exact same place. I suppose the reasoning is the race is not intended to hide in combat, but it just does not seem to be adding up. I have played pretty much every race on this server and maxed it ( cept beast and working on my rap now) and this is probably the most underpowered race I have seen yet.

[acolyte_to_jippity]

So I don't know if this is how the class was created or intended for but I'd like to mention a couple issues that seem to me to be holding the class back. You may notice almost no one is playing the class, unless like me they are wishing to level everything. Firstly the ultimate is supposed to make me invisible? Because the graphics on it when you do use it can be seen through walls. So by using my ultimate I am in essence telling the other team, HEY HERE I AM! come shoot me.

That seems to me a pretty big problem with the race. The second thing about the ultimate could just be personal opinion but....... Y have a graphic to an ultimate that makes you invisible? Was the intention to make it harder to play? It would seem to me if the ultimate graphic was removed completely it would really enhance the competitiveness of the race. Otherwise if I try to use it they see the graphic and know right where I am. AT least with Vaga you can move with your ultimate so your not it he exact same place. I suppose the reasoning is the race is not intended to hide in combat, but it just does not seem to be adding up. I have played pretty much every race on this server and maxed it ( cept beast and working on my rap now) and this is probably the most underpowered race I have seen yet.

then you're playing it badly.

the graphic is barely anything, and only is seen if someone is looking directly at you. the sound is more often what people pick up on when they're close. i'm not entirely sure if the graphic is intentional or not, but the race is most certainly not underpowered at all. it's one of the stronger races by far.

[Steamer]

Zero said it was intentional. I've gotten killed plenty because of it. If it came down to a using Rap or Pred, I'd use pred.

[B1ackOut]

I"m just going to say its not underused as almost every time i join someone is using it.

[VladtheImpaler]

I do not feel like some one is always using it when I am on, and if they are after 4-5 rounds they switch off because they suck. I have yet to see a good rapscalion, where as I have seen a couple good flame preds. Ill try my best to strategize with it I suppose, maybe with full levels it will be better?

[Blackmage]

It has been used a lot recently, as a number of us want all our races maxed, and we hit Raps for one reason or another, at about the same time.

As for sound Vs. graphic, for me, I find the graphic to be more liable to get people killed. I know it's how I killed them most often. The graphic also prevents it from being able to get out of tight spots. The sound tells you they are in the area, but just look at how hard it is for MANY people to find a vaga when someone says "they are right next to my chat symbol, right off the ground". MANY people who play here can't fathom how to find something they can't actually see, no matter how explicit of directions they are given. The graphic, however, tells you exactly where to shoot.

For Pred Vs. Raps, that's say Rush Vs. Ambush. Sure you can use both races for the other, but they take different play styles. You don't rush with this race. You stay out of the way and wait until someone comes by and pop out for the kill. Or wait around a corner and stab people who turn it.

But, overall, my only complaint about the race is that it's slower than vaga. Granted I have that same complaint about all 3 knife races, but still. The graphic is only visible from so far, so as long as you have cleared the enemy out, you're safe. This race isn't made for taking on the horde.

[ShadedFlash]

Adding my 2 cents to this after playing the rapscallion to 31.

By far, it is probably considered the HARDEST race to level. Its gruelling, especially compared to the ease of the flame pred (low level req, easy starter level bonuses, less levels to max, etc)

Problems:
The ultimate graphic showing through walls, as read, is intentional, ok..
The sound, very loud, very obvious.
The flashlight shadow, been found over +50ft away and nearly instantly every time.
Becomes stuck when around laced enemies.
Easily found without equipping necklace.
The leveling..only good at max, horridly painful to level. (Having a cooldown on ult until level23 and having to invest full 8 pts to make it 0cooldown, vs vagabond's 1pt teleporting 0cooldown ultimate)

Separately, one can tolerate these issues going against the rapscallion but it just feels all together, it really makes the class undesirable unless maxed and large enough server pop to be less noticed amongst fights..

Suggestions:
If the graphic see-thru-walls is going to remain, can the sound atleast be removed?
Or perhaps give it silent running?
Somehow fix the flashlight issue? (although it is needed for vagabond..)
It needs SOME stealthiness outside of pure chaos (which kind of defeats the point of stealthiness).
Allow it some kind of escape from laced enemies (perhaps a teleport back to spawn once per round +ability?), perhaps allow it to run invis for a short period before freezing, akin to the vagabond's ultimate, without the crazy teleport?
At the very least, perhaps tone down the leveling curve where it is only useful at max where was flame pred is easily useable with 1 pt in each skill while having a significant lvl req difference.

While many consider the flame pred more "offensive" than the "defensive" rapscallion, I think outside of the ultimate itself, flame pred has more survival skills than the rapscallion...
Flame Pred:
More HP -- flame preds can take an incredible beating especially when combined with health item, giving more time to kill its victim and survive being caught, stray ultimates and other damage.
Disarm -- obvious defensive ability
Burn -- slows, blinds and causes sound to alert others, making for an easy kill.
Invis -- hard to see, especially with its speed.

Rapscallion:
Blinking -- easily spotted unless combined with cloak, which is hard to afford when trying to level it (going back to the maxed vs lvling issue)
Invis Ultimate -- useless with laced enemies, can be seen through walls, heard all over, flashlighted, etc.

Both have speed and levitate, so leaving those out..

And finally, with the invis, to make a quick comparison between Rapscallion and Vagabond for their invis...
The reason the rapscallion's invis is vastly inferior to vagabonds is simply due to the teleporting and running while invis bonus the vagabond gains (at ult rank 1 with no cooldown, mind you) where it makes the vagabond nearly impossible to track their end location (without flashlight or bleeding, etc). If the vagabond gets noticed, it can easily teleport away while being completely invis. The rapscallion....kinda just sits there and hopes they're not seen due to lack of escape mechanism that the vagabond has.

The only saving grace of the rapscallion is the blades proc, which...quite frankly, can be completely unnecessary with well placed backstabs, leaving the entire success of the rapscallion up to the luck of its proc vs anything else.