if the phoenix doesnt direct hit kill infantry, why should any other launcher?

same as the title states, if the phoenix doesnt kill infantry in one shot, by rights, why should any other launcher?

Because the other launchers aren't guided.

You both have a valid point.

Which is the Phoenix paradox.

derp

In theory they shouldn't .. Not if people want real balance

The argument that they are AV launcher's holds true for Dumbfires just as much as it did for the Phoenix

I don't think you would see much complaining if OHK was removed from all rockets, or at least lessened with flak armor.

Only the dumpfire launchers can kill infantry. Anything that can lock on or can adjust for aim or is too precise doesn't. Sounds more reasonably balanced to me than having the TV guided missile sniping infantry from safety.

I don't mind the Phoenix OHK infantry with a direct hit. Because why not, it's a huge missile. I'd prefer some reduced damage to sunderers though as they can't always move all the way they want. Btw, I like killing slow and stationary infantry with my AV turret.

What a moot arguement... I can also say "If the phoenix is camera guided, by rights, why shouldnt any other launcher?"

Um, the lancer doesn't OHK either, way to get your facts straight.

The answer is simple;

Free To Play.

As the Dumbfire rockets come as default, they need to have a sufficient level of versatility for the user. This is traded off by the fact they are highly inaccurate, or, rather, are easy to avoid and difficult to use at long ranges. As such, Dumbfire rockets can only efficiently kill infantry with a direct hit in close quarters combat. Given the risk/reward factor of possibly missing this single shot, either due to skill or latency or screen shake, this makes using conventional weaponry preferable in any situation except against MAX suits.

Unlike the Dumbfire, the Phoenix has little risk factor, nor is it a skill-shot weapon. A person can sit behind a rock hundreds of meters away and guide a rocket to its intended target almost entirely risk free. This removes any of the "fairness" element to combat, as the only trade off for being able to 1-hit an infantryman with a Dumbfire is the fact that you can miss and be killed. This is not possible the the Phoenix.

Hope that answers your question.

Because the Phoenix doesn't require line of sight to hit said infantry. The other launchers also can't be adjusted mid-flight to chase infantry down.

Simple fix, really - as well as a change to the Lancer which would bring both weapons in line with their purpose. "Smart" targeting on the Lancer...it does not fire at soft targets. Make the Phoenix warhead require a hard target to detonate, soft targets just get smacked, but no boom. Considering the explosive charge carried by that missile (OHKs on ESFs???), it had better have a much higher requirement for detonation.
Striker, Lancer and Phoenix become anti armor weapons, almost like they were intended to be.

For the sake of argument, why is its ability to be player guided relevant.

I only say this, as a lot of previous argument buzzing around the forums, revolved around the notion of the more player interaction was required, the higher damage was justified in being.

Again, just for the sake of having actual arguments, as opposed to calling each other stupid, lets examine the central counter premise shall we?

The phoenix is meant to be able to kill infantry in one hit. How ever the camera is suppose to have a limitation on what you can see while flying making it harder to hit infantry. Since they could not fix the camera before the double exp weekend they just nerfed the damage as a quick solution.

Matthew Higby ‏@mhigby
We've spent a lot of time today trying to get a phoenix camera that adequately obscures infantry and isn't irritating, but it's not working.

Because the phoenix is too powerful and annoying against infantry. The other rocket shooters are not.

I have no problem that the Phoenix damage is lessened on infantry, hopefully significant enough to take out shields and OHK on turret users. Was getting a little too cheesy (but no less fun though the only infantry kills I went for today were people repairing vehicles). I just hope it doesn't mean *more* Phoenix spam because it takes more to kill an infantry. I'd have preferred that the rocket went dumbfire after the initial 300m guided with a decent drop and the vehicle damage not buffed as well. Tough finding vehicles < 300m - the Crow ends up being a better option most of the time.

Annihilator rockets oneshot infantry. I've gotten a couple kills on people standing between me and a ground vehicle.

Becuase it was cheesy to be able to guide a rocket from 300m away and OHK people. With a dumbfire rocket, this wasn't a big deal as you had to actually aim, and you couldn't spam it the way you can a pheonix. And it could be avoided.

And drop pods kill ESF, but I don't think anyone can consider them an anti-air weapon.