Reclassify the prowler as mobile artillery?

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Hotbread, Feb 6, 2014.

  1. Hotbread

    It's not a tank. I love the thing to death but it's not a battle tank in the slightest. It's made for bombing infantry from a distance in a fixed position, and can only take on other vehicles (most the time) at a distance or when they get the first shots off. The armor (except for the very front) is made of paper mache.
    People talk about getting mobile artillery in this game, but isn't the prowler everything mobile artillery would be?
    • Up x 5
  2. treeHamster

    Dude you realize it has the SAME health and armor as a Magrider with a smaller model. It's also faster, has more firepower, and is just as good as the Magrider at range. If anything, it's slightly better because of Anchor.

    If you want something classified as mobile artillery, it's the Magrider because it's got the lowest shell velocity, lowest vertical turret pitch, and lowest damage output of ALL the tanks. It's a trebuche that floats.
    • Up x 4
  3. Hotbread

    Yet you leave out the fact that a skilled magrider pilot can dodge almost ANYTHING.
    If you wanna talk about fighting at range that's a major factor. Prowler is a fixed target and the magrider is sliding from side to side
    right to left up and down. Etc.
    • Up x 2
  4. DukeFlash

    I think Hotbread's point is that the Prowler's Lockdown ability effectively makes it more mobile artillery than tank.

    I get his point, however, the Prowler has plenty of characteristics that keep it a tank.
    (still a 2-man vehicle, still has the same NS secondaries as other MBT, and the Lockdown is not mandatory. Not only do you not have to equip Lockdown but even when you do, you don't have to use it to fire. You can still move and shoot without deploying; mobile artillery would probably be unable to use its primary unless deployed first.
  5. Moisture

    its a Tracked armored vehicle armed with a cannon mounted on a rotating turret. Seems pretty Tanky to me.
    the Magriders the fixed gun on the platform. I suppose since we are being wise guys with definitions its clearly a tank Destroyer.
    Oh looks like VS dont have a tank now!
  6. AdmiralArcher


    treehamster.....sometimes you make me believe that you dont play the game, just because the numbers add up on paper doesnt mean they do in a combat situation, reason being that the magrider can dodge incoming fire fairly easily and with the saron combo it becomes unstoppable
    • Up x 4
  7. Tycoh

    It is known through out the TR populous that the Prowler mobile artillery excels in long range bombardment. Unless you're a tank Ace, don't use the prowler as a close ranged tank destroyer as it is not effective and not design to be that way. You can do frontline tanking if you're supported by infantry and maybe a few other tanks.

    The closest classification i can see the prowler being is a rapid deployment medium tank that needs numbers to win. Alot like the WW2 Sherman tank before it became a Firefly, faster in speed, stabilized turret mechanisms, rotating turret, disadvantaged in armor vs armor scenarios but great for supporting infantry.
    • Up x 2
  8. biterwylie

    Once you have fully certed anchor I think you will love the Prowler. The DPS is huge! Far beyond the other tanks.

    Mobile artillery would shoot at targets beyond visual range.
    • Up x 2
  9. Akeita

    Gotta wait until SOE give TR Transformer
    • Up x 1
  10. Tycoh

    How is that not a mobile artillery platf- Y'know what nvm. You're right it is not a mobile artillery piece as it doesn't have ultra long range or capabilities of doing splash damage beyond render distance. It's a lightly armored (compared to the wall turrets) mobile turret emplacement.
  11. treeHamster


    If you put a gunner in your freakin' tank and equip it with a halfway certed Halberd and AP main turret, you'll beat out all but skillshield Vanguard.

    A decently certed AP/Halberd Prowler will NEVER lose to the Magrider unless the two guys in the Prowler refuse to take a shot at the Magrider or have at least 30% of the health gone.

    AP/Halberd Prower >> AP/Saron Magrider.

    You just need to get yourself a freakin' gunner and make him STAY on the gun. The biggest problem with the TR is that they never want to gun for another driver. They wanna get their own Prowler and solo stuff.


    If you're talking about tank fights that have over 400m of distance, then turn your hull sideways and move around while you're not shooting. Neither of you will hit each other if you're half way decent.
    • Up x 1
  12. Tycoh

    *Rolls eyes* Here he goes again.

    Telling us to use what we are already using doesn't help much.

    People hate gunning for prowlers due to their extremely short life expectancy and limited long range arsenal (No the Halberd is not as good as the Enforcer or Saron, which is the reason why you see VS+NC using said weapons ALL the time than the halberd).

    Shooting while moving is not recommended as a prowler pilot. No suspension/ turret stabilization = no hits.


    I'm happy you're retaining your belief that all prowler tank drivers can hit all their shots on moving targets at all practical ranges.
    • Up x 6
  13. huller

    The prowler is an SPG rather than a tank
  14. treeHamster


    You can within 300m (proven using simple math...yeah that thing you failed hard at in primary school).

    I just tested the Halberd. It actually has a LOWER TTK at 280m thant he Saron against a Vanguard. The Saron can do it in around 33 seconds while the Halberd can do it in 24 seconds. This is with a fully reload certed MBT secondary (not the Harasser version).

    So YES, at the ranges even the crappiest TR tanker can get 100% accuracy against a Magrider, the Halberd has a lower TTK than ESAV secondaries by more than 20%.


    The VS and NC use the Enforcer because they already had them and highly certing another MBT secondary can cost you 5k in certs without even trying (which is a LOT of certs to most people).

    I run a Halberd because I certed my Maggy AFTER they changed the Saron. The Saron is only better than the Halberd if you get within 100m where you can mag dump it. Otherwise the Halberd is better (it even OHK's infantry).
  15. Tycoh

    [IMG]

    Still having the mind set of "Oh it works great in a controlled environment, so it must have the same results in the field!"

    Oh yes, because constantly checking TTK statistics and attacking stationary dummies that don't fire back or move really supports that argument. Did you get a buddy and drive around on rough terrain while attacking the stationary target to test the true ttk in the practical and most frequent situations that tankers go through? Tried using the casual tactics that almost all tread based tankers use in this game like the "peak a boo" in and out of cover?

    TTK does not matter if you can't hit it while it's moving! Which the enemy tank is always doing. It's a thing people like to call evasive maneuvers and running to cover that can cover a tank.

    I'm pretty sure they don't win fights by sitting 10 or 100 feet from a stationary and unmanned enemy tank and just pelt rounds at it and recording how fast they killed it.

    I know you're ignoring the human factors such as a single barreled weapon is easier to shoot off accurately than a double barreled weapon. Or that the tread based tanks in this game have no suspension like the maglev Magrider therefore will make the drivers aim all rickety.

    "double barreled tank + Crappiest tank pilot = 100% accuracy against strafing floating targets"
    I can smell the ignorance seep through my computer speakers. Now i'll just do what the rest of the forum does and try to ignore you.

    P.S. Your suggestion will not convince TR to stop solo spamming or encourage people to gun on top of those coffins on treads.
    • Up x 1
  16. treeHamster


    An AP round from any tank and hit a Magrider up to 300m if you aim center mass. It's been proven on video.

    Now if you wanna act like my "controlled environment" is crap, then you are going to have to admit the Mossy is hands down better than the Scythe because it's better in ALL but a controlled 1v1 hover fight.


    That's beside the point though. The Prowler is a LOT better than you seem to think. Also, the more you speak, the more I seem to think you a REALLY awful player. Your score rate is REALLY low considering how much time you spend in your Mossy. In fact, looking over ALL of your stats, you're mediocre if not below average.

    So your input on the subject is nullified due to lack of general skill to operate the game.
    • Up x 1
  17. Flukeman62

    A Mans ideas should not be judged by his skill with the subject matter. As many a brilliant invention was created by a man who was **** at using it...
    For example the nuclear bomb was not invented by bombers or soldiers. It was invented by scientists. And none of them could fly a bomber carrying a nuke...
    • Up x 1
  18. Sixty

    Prowler is bad artilery...with his recoil+ nonexistent barrel stabilization is basically impossible shoot 2 quick "bullets" in to the same spot on 200m+ distance
    • Up x 2
  19. treeHamster


    Those scientists invented the bomb. They didn't give opinions on how to balance it. In fact they hated themselves when they saw what it was going to be used for.

    The point of it was, if you are terrible at using a screwdriver, you shouldn't be allowed to say it's a good screwdriver or a bad one because you aren't using it to it's full potential anyway. For all I know, you're trying to use the screwdriver to cut down a tree.
  20. treeHamster


    Fire -> switch camera to 3rd person -> Fire again -> switch camera back to 1st person

    Doing the above allows you to dump two shots in succession with nearly the same accuracy.

    3rd person doesn't entirely eliminate recoil but it reduces it a significant amount. The likelihood is that you are going to over correct for any recoil in the gun. For weapons like the Skyguard, you are better off not zooming in because recoil gets amplified and you over correct, making you work too hard to get hits, forcing you to miss too many shots.