If I remember correctly, we did look into a few alternatives to the jump pack at one point. The problem we ran into was when players became a prop, the game would become glitchy. This specifically applied to testing out the wing type of jump assist.
I've bounced around a few servers in the past to investigate what they use for a jump assist, and these are my findings:
- Having a lower gravitational pull with and without a jump assist was annoying, as you ultimately don't have control of your descent. Meaning jumping off a ledge to chase props or as a prop, it takes significantly longer to reach the ground. It was annoying and frustrating, however, it made dying by gravity nearly impossible.
- The wing feature looks really cool as a hunter; however the auto trails attached make finding props significantly easier, as the trail is still active when you're a prop. The wings don't allow gliding down as a prop (from what I experienced)
- Purchasable jump assist, this was basically the jump pack without a visable equipped item in your inventory.
- Double Jump, though it sounds cool and helpful... it lead to a lot of lost health from fall damage as a hunter; and even more death by gravity as a prop due to missing jumps/inability to glide down to safety.
