[quote]I’m going to go back to putting the finishing touches on the new Subclasses and trying to figure out how I can make Blink less frustrating to fight against. People keep showing up at my desk asking me when I’m going to remove Blink from the game, and I don’t want to do that, so back to the drawing board!
-From the desk of Jon Weisnewski[/quote]
Dear Jon,
You've made quite an impression on these forums the last couple of days and I'm not quite sure it was the splash you had intended. While I'm sure there are a lot of Guardians who'd like to have a word with you about that, today I'd like to talk to you about the comment above and problem solving not just in a sandbox, but in the real world as well.
Without going too in depth (you or anyone else at Bungie can find my thoughts at any time under the tag #bumpfortruth) I have always posited that when you all decided to allow us to use our own weapons, armor and unique class abilities in PvP, you were creating an experience in which there may occasionally be items or abilities that give advantages in situations. Weapons like Vex and Thorn might be powerful, Arcblade may be destructive, but that the overall depth of the arsenals at our disposal means that we have a multitude of ways to counter anything thrown at us.
I'm taking this from a reply I gave to a post in which the OP was upset with Blink users and insinuating they were all scrubs and Blink is broken. It's the kind of post I assume you are referring to in your statement and honestly, by what I've seen so far, the solution you may come up with worries the hell out of me. Not because I use Blink, I don't. But because like Vex, Suros, Thorn, ARs, Black Hammer, etc, etc... I'm worried you're looking for a solution to a problem that may not lay completely in the weapon or ability.
So here is something to think about when contemplating problem solving in a sandbox. One of the basic tenets of competition is that, in order to asses the strengths and advantages of an opponent, we must first understand what we ourselves are capable of and where we fall short. Here is my reply to that post:
[quote]I get you're frustrated dying to players using Blink, but coming onto the forums and talking shit to everyone who uses it kinda makes you look like a sore loser.
If you're willing to take some advice, there's a pretty effective way to counter Blink but to counter it, you have to understand it.
While Blink allows the user to teleport forward in place of a jump, it does come with some drawbacks. The biggest consequence and the most relevant to anyone facing it, is that for the distance of the Blink the Hunter/Warlock is essentially blind.
The second drawback that is relevant to killing them is that they can't Blink more than twice in a row without hitting a cooldown.
The last thing to understand is that 99% of the time someone is using Blink, they're going to be headed forward or up.
So what people need to do is think about that and what it means and try to form a strategy to counter it.
It's easy to just hop on a forum and say nerf Blink, but look where that thought process has gotten us.
So we know that our opponents can Blink and that makes them a bitch to hit, but we also know that they are momentarily Blind, can only Blink twice and are generally headed one of two directions.
So what can we do to use that to our advantage?
The answer is as simple as one button press.
JUMP.
We've been doing it since Mario, so we know how it works. Press A and jump into the air.
When our enemy Blinks, they do so with the assumption that they are going to teleport, but you are going to be in relatively your same position when they get to the other side. If in that instant they're blind, you jump... "Holy f**k, where'd they go??"
You just bogarted their Blink.
And by either using jump abilities that allow you to move in the air or by jumping consecutively, even if they Blink again you have the advantage and they're screwed after the second Blink.
And by knowing what direction their Blink is taking them, it allows you to equip a close range weapon like a Fusion Rifle to melt them as they reappear or to drop on them with a shotgun.
Is it perfect? No. Some maps work better than others. Shores? You'll kill Blinkers for days. Close quarters map like the Anomaly, advantage them.
The point is that if people were willing to accept a little personal accountability and ask themselves if they're dying because of a weapon or because they could be better or know a map better or know their class and abilities better, people might find that there are a lot more great weapons and abilities and ways to succeed in this game than they thought.
Just something to consider the next time you're in the Crucible.[/quote]
I hope this is something you read and take to heart Mr. Weisnewski and I hope you never change Blink.
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That comment actually came from Sage Merrill, intended with a bit of humor. However honestly blink the most overpowered ability in the crucible.