• Please make sure you are familiar with the forum rules. You can find them here: https://forums.tripwireinteractive.com/index.php?threads/forum-rules.2334636/

Regarding the Machete

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Cr@zY-$HeeP

Cr@zY-$HeeP

Grizzled Veteran
Mar 21, 2009
197
15
New York
www.darkrepublicstudios.com
#1
With the advent of the to-be-added Katana, it would seem the Berzerker class has an intense arsenal to choose from in terms of melee devices...

Axe, Chainsaw, Knife, Machete, Katana... Berzerkers easily have the widest selection of weapons to use, and yet the majority of them perform a roughly similar task. In fact, I feel they all perform (with the exception of the chainsaw) a little too similarly...

Regarding the Machete:

Rarely do I see anyone head to the shop to purchase a Machete... Rarely do I see anyone pick up the Machete during a wave and actually use it... In fact, the only time I ever see the Machete used is to make some extra cash by selling it to the shop whenever it's found. In its current state, it's not a preferable item to spend inventory slots on, especially not when it's overshadowed by more functional items like the Axe/Katana.

Once the Katana is finally implemented, I wonder what place the Machete will actually have... In fact, I wonder right now what place the Machete has at all, besides being a mediocre upgrade from the default knife. Personally, I'd rather have the remaining slots free in my inventory so that I can run faster using my default knife, than to spend them on the Machete.

Now on to my idea:

Add a "throw" option to the Machete.

The Berzerker class may have a multitude of weapons to select from... But none of them are projectile based. Adding the ability to throw the Machete at a target might add that extra consideration to the weapon when at the shop. If the Machete is the only option for the Berzerker to deal critical melee-based damage from a significant distance, it might actually become a preferable weapon.

This could work in one of a few ways... One would be to remove the "strong" attack from the Machete in favor for the option to throw it. Another could be to leave both attack types in, and just have users click the iron-sights button to heave it at specimen. Even further, you could remove the "strong" attack for the option to throw it, and when you hold down the iron-sights key, it centers the knife on the screen, giving a reference point for the user to aim properly.

In terms of damage, I was thinking it could deal relatively strong melee damage to a single specimen (similar to damage dealt by a Crossbow bolt), however it has no penetration and simply affects the one target. Upon striking the target, the Machete could fall to the floor to be retrieved, much like individual Crossbow bolts once they are fired. However, because of the nature of throwing your Machete, chances are it's going to land in a specimen-heavy environment, so retrieval would be rather difficult in that regard.

I feel the option to throw the Machete would have significant impact on the way the Berzerker class is played. Think of the following scenario:

It's the 10th wave, and you're team is being pummeled from all sides by raging specimen. As a Berzerker, you're right on the front lines, buzzing away with your Chainsaw. Suddenly, two Fleshpounds descend on you. You tear into them with your Chainsaw but it's no good. Each one smacks you silly, depleting your armor and knocking you down to 20HP before they fall. Before you can react, a Scrake nears your position. Your team blindly fires, causing the Scrake to rush towards you in a frenzy. If he reaches you, you're as good as gone. In an act of desperation, you whip out your Machete and heave it at him, delivering the death blow and saving your life.

In this respect, the ability to throw the Machete would provide a single "act of desperation" for the Berzerker, potentially saving them (or others) from life-threatening situations. It can only be used once, so the Berzerker would have to choose the proper moment to part with their Machete, potentially risking future conflicts without it...

Well, I pretty much wrote a book about it by now... So I'll leave it up to you guys to discuss/build upon. :p
 
#2
Machete isn't worth the carrying weight, IMO, unless you're carrying certain weapons (Crossbow or Shotgun, usually) that prohibit anything BUT the Machete. In later waves, anything less than the Fire Axe doesn't have the sheer power to down foes fast enough and on the harder levels, nothing short of the Chainsaw can pull it's weight in melee.

The Katana, if anything, will cement the Machete into uselessness. If it's reasonably fast and does decent damage, even if it weighs a lot, will replace the Machete as the 'Fast' weapon (IE: Quick attack speed without slowing running speed).

Long story short: Myself and many other players regard the Machete as a joke and hardly ever buy or pick it up, so the ability to throw it would be something we'd never use. If you're stuck with the Machete, it usually means that you have enough space to buy a decent ranged weapon.

The ONLY way this could be really useful is for Machete/Fire Axe combos or for Machete/Combat Knife early wave stuff. Having to retrieve it after every shot would be possile with scattered, slow enemies, but against mobs of things, it wouldn't. Not to mention that an ACTUAL ranged weapon would still outperform it. And it'd be a pain to impliment as well, so I don't see this happening...
 
Upvote 0
#3
How about instead of adding a throw option to the Machete, it just gets replaced with throwing knives. You could buy a stack of 15 by default, and each rank of berserker allows you to hold 1 more knife, with a max of 20. Throwing knives would be considered melee weapons, so Berserkers would receive the melee damage bonus from throwing them.

However, they would not be recoverable once thrown like crossbow bolts (this is for the sake of game balance, not realism). They would be there to give the berserker a semi decent ranged option besides the bullpup/lever action (providing they're using a chainsaw, which most berserkers will).
 
Upvote 0
#5
I agree with skunkee's suggestion, though I must add that I, for one, actually do use the machete.

usually however, this is when I can't use the axe. Though from time to time I have picked up the machete simply for the sake of showing people it is indeed, some what useful.

With a precision strike, you can remove the heads of clots and gorefeasts easily enough. Making it great for saving ammo, or saving your arse in a pinch. There has been a few times that, when things looked particularly bleak (Mannor, Hard, 5th or 6th wave, in the tunnel with the door) I sallied forth while everyone else pressed themselves into the cracks of the walls, chopping like a maniac, until I had pushed the zeds back or delayed them enough for the team to get re-assembled and start firing over my head.

Two or three times this tactic saved our arses. While the machete doesn't have the brute force of the axe, it does have near the speed of the knife, with the decap power of it's alternative slash.

That being said, the advent of the katana could very well blast it into obscurity if the price or at least weight are similar. So it [the machete] should be modified, exchanged, or otherwise looked at.
 
Upvote 0
#6
complaining about a weapon that does exactly what its supposed to...an upgrade from the knife

what weapon do i use mostly? the machete

Why do i use it? because its stronger than the knife and a little slower if not as fast.

How efficient am i with it? extremely

Leave my machete alone


But if i could throw and retrieve it that would be pretty cool
 
Upvote 0
#7
I like the idea of throwing weapons... but specifically NOT for the berserker. IMO, the class is way over powered, especially in FF games. If the zerk stands in a doorway you'll see the zerk at the top of the kills, sometimes by 2-3x. If he squats, the you can get some careful shots over his head, but no nades, flames or rockets.
Also, since they often must close with jasons and fps, you can't get lead in edgewise without risking the zerk's armor/health.
Giving them a ranged weapon would help the "always in the way" problem, but would reduce them to a knife throwing act.
I don't know what the solution is, but giving zerks more power can't help.

Also, wrt to removing or transforming the machete (or other items), another post shows it it not universally hated. So, TWI, please ADD things, but only remove them after lots of thought and consulting with the community.

Cool idea!

cx
cx
 
Upvote 0
#10
I often use the machete when im a commando or medic mainly becuase it saves me ammo hacking clots and also gets rid of more lethal gore fast.

But the idea of throwing it isn't bad at all, To even enhance it i recommend after you tossed it the blade will stick in the creature and continue to do wound damage for a certain amount before it falls off or in the pat case he pulls it out. This would add a lot more use to it as a weapon.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
#11
I like the idea of a machete/knife combo for berserkers. If you're not a berserker, you should only be able to wield a single melee weapon. If you are a berserker, you could wield two single-handed melee weapons (knife and machete, in this case). The axe takes two hands, and proper usage of the katana would take two hands as well. This way, a berserker could have the two fastest melee weapons equipped at once.

What advantage does this bring?

Fast stab with the knife, heavy swing with the machete.

Also, badassery.

Oh, and regarding throwing knives... no. No, no, and no again. Unless you're throwing a K-Bar or some ****, your knife won't penetrate far enough to do lethal damage. Specially designed throwing knives won't penetrate far enough either, and they're practically worthless as melee weapons because they're lighter than normal knives and not as sturdy, and they tend to have thin, broad blades. It's also hard to throw a typical combat knife with any effectiveness, as the handle is too heavy and it only has one cutting edge instead of a double-edged blade.

Plus, throwing knives (unless you're chucking a K-bar or similar) don't have enough force to stop a pissed-off attacker. Even if you threw a K-Bar at someone and hit them square in the chest, they wouldn't die immediately. If you ruptured a lung, punctured the heart, then maybe they'd die pretty quick. However, if you hit somebody in an artery, even in their neck, you're looking at 30 seconds before they pass out from blood loss. A lot can happen in 30 seconds, especially if your attacker is pumped up on adrenaline and really pissed.

Throwing knives are nearly worthless in combat.

A machete would be big enough to seriously **** you up, and would hit you with enough force, but again it only has one cutting edge and isn't suited to throwing. It would hurt, but you'd have to score a headshot or a good hit on a limb to kill or cripple.

A more viable alternative to add reach would be a sledgehammer, spear, halberd, or some kind of polearm. While hardly standard military hardware, you could easily justify it by creating a museum level. A museum with a medieval exhibit. Sure, those might just be SHOW weapons, but it's probably made of steel, and steel holds an edge. Sharpen it up, and you have a brand new mauling device. Plus, fighting through an abandoned half-wrecked museum would be creepy and fun, especially if you put it in the right exhibits.
 
Upvote 0
#13
Whoever thought up the idea of "Hrm...a knife with a handle made for shopping...IT SHOULD BE THROWABLE!"...I mean...that's just...cmon now.

Either tweaking the specs, changing it to something else entirely, or reviewing it's effectiveness and making a decision based on that might help. But making the machete throwable is just plain stupid.

Ever heard the saying "Don't bring a knife to a gun fight"? Guns are for range, melee weapons are for melee. Throwing knives would not do ****e.
 
Upvote 0
#14
Xlightscreen said:
I often use the machete when im a commando or medic mainly becuase it saves me ammo hacking clots and also gets rid of more lethal gore fast.

But the idea of throwing it isn't bad at all, To even enhance it i recommend after you tossed it the blade will stick in the creature and continue to do wound damage for a certain amount before it falls off or in the pat case he pulls it out. This would add a lot more use to it as a weapon.
Click to expand...

And Pat pulls it out, says, ~Nice machete. Goodbye Mr Burton~ and throws it back at you.

cx
 
Upvote 0
#16
chicxulub said:
I like the idea of throwing weapons... but specifically NOT for the berserker. IMO, the class is way over powered, especially in FF games. If the zerk stands in a doorway you'll see the zerk at the top of the kills, sometimes by 2-3x. If he squats, the you can get some careful shots over his head, but no nades, flames or rockets.
Also, since they often must close with jasons and fps, you can't get lead in edgewise without risking the zerk's armor/health.
Giving them a ranged weapon would help the "always in the way" problem, but would reduce them to a knife throwing act.
I don't know what the solution is, but giving zerks more power can't help.
Click to expand...

This whole complaint regards Friendly Fire situations, which are the result of a mutator and not the baseline game. Of course some perks will be stronger in mutator situations than others. The Berserker class is fine for reasons already stated throughout this board.

Throwing knives, with the limitations I suggested, would hardly regulate the Berserker to a ranged role. Last I knew, there were far more than 20 specimens per wave. It wouldn't necessarily be giving them "more power". It would be more like giving them a perk related ranged option.

Also, wrt to removing or transforming the machete (or other items), another post shows it it not universally hated. So, TWI, please ADD things, but only remove them after lots of thought and consulting with the community.

Cool idea!

cx
cx
Click to expand...
I suggested removing it in favor of something else because it is the least used weapon in the game. It will probably see much less use once the Katana is released as well. As it stands, the machete is very lackluster even though a few people like using it (although I can't see it as being much better than the basic knife as a rank 4-5 Berserker). Too many options in the shop menu could be detrimental to the weapon selection process when you're huffing it to the shop with 10 seconds left on the clock.
 
Upvote 0
#18
Caspy said:
Like I've already said a billion times, I would love to have a blunt melee weapon. Don't get me wrong, decapitation is fun, but after the 10,000th head it starts to get a little old and sometimes I would just like to crush a skull into oblivion.
Click to expand...


Sledgehammer, Cudgel, Mace, something. Not going to lie, I kind of miss the old lead pipe and it's knockback/stun effect. Thing was beast for taking out clots.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply
Jump to latest Follow Reply
Community News
Forums
Merch
Menu