[Suggestion] Upgraded Lightning AA Systems

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by ColonelChingles, May 9, 2014.

  1. ColonelChingles

    So the Lightning Skyguard is seen universally as a joke. Ineffective against infantry, helpless against tanks, and really the only thing it should be good at is blowing up aircraft.

    But instead most Skyguards have to hide from Liberators and Galaxies, and can only catch the most unaware of ESF pilots before they run off and repair.

    Overall the Skyguard is just underperforming. It has about a 7 average vehicle KPH. Right up there with Basilisks and Rangers. For a primary weapon that trades up everything else, the Skyguard definitely needs to be killing more air.

    So how do we make the Skyguard perform roughly the same as other AA options? Well we could try and make up some newfangled weapon to put on top of the Lightning chassis instead. But that would probably result in 1) more work for the Devs and 2) balancing hardships.

    Instead... why not put other weapons currently in the game on the Lightning chassis instead? Those weapons are already balanced, right? ;)

    Incidentally, these Lightning AA systems are all short to medium range options. For long range AA, please see the NS-500 SAM for the Sunderer.

    So without further ado, here's the new family of NS Lightning AA vehicles!

    NS-19 SAM Coyote

    [IMG]

    If it's on ESFs and Liberators, why not Lightnings? The Coyote missile system acts as an extreme close-range point defense system for ground forces meant to counter low-altitude strike runs. Dumbfire capabilities allow it minimal defenses against enemy infantry as well.

    NS-22 SAM Swarm

    [IMG]

    Originally developed as an A2G weapon for the Liberator, NS discontinued this program in favor of the Zephyr. However, NS corporate decided not to let this system go to waste, so instead mounted it on the Lightning. The Swarm missile system is made up of high-velocity dumbfire rockets that can be launched simultaneously or sequentially. Ideal for larger targets or massive suppression of an airspace.

    Although missiles can be fired at a lower elevation, such warheads are not too effective against infantry or heavy armor. But it looks pretty. :p

    NS-2 SAM Mountain Lion

    [IMG]

    The Mountain Lion missile system is an evolution of the A2A Tomcat. It works in your traditional "fire and forget" way of achieving a lock and then letting the onboard computer take over from there. Some might consider it the little brother of the NS-500 SAM, but what it gains in mobility and stealth it loses in damage and missile intelligence.

    Since it cannot fire without a lock, this AA platform is completely helpless against ground threats.

    NS-3-30-4 Shredder

    [IMG]

    Noting the unintended success of the Liberator's Shredder as an A2A weapon, NS corporate decided to mount it to the Lightning chassis to provide medium-range direct AA fire. While shooting at much higher velocities and damage than the Skyguard, the ground Shredder also lacks the Skyguards flak, rendering it a completely skill-based weapon (well, about as much skill as Liberators need anyhow). Sadly the NS-3-30-4 can only fire in a forward 180 degree arc, and cannot depress its main cannon low enough to engage infantry (can still hit enemy armor with creative positioning though).

    NS-CAA30 Air Buster

    [IMG]

    As with the NS-3-30-4, NS corporate again observed how one of the most effective counters to Liberators was in fact a second Liberator with the inappropriately named Tank Buster. After firing half of the marketing team for renaming it to the more accurate "Everything Buster", NS corporate mounted a version of it to the Lightning. However, as a cost-saving measure the 30mm AP rounds were replaced with rounds optimized for AA duties, making it far less effective against enemy ground units. As a side benefit though this significantly increased accuracy at range, allowing the Air Buster to engage enemy targets out to medium range.
    • Up x 38
  2. Sagabyte

    I like your rendering work.

    I believe that the SAM swarm and the air buster would make for great AA, but I think that MBTs need a more effective AA cannon so they can be pulled for AA work.
    • Up x 4
  3. ColonelChingles

    It's pretty easy. Anyone can do it. Just use the PS2LS to extract the .obj files, then open up Blender and start combining things! All for free, just takes a few minutes to figure out how to move, resize, and rotate things.

    Prior to 48 hours ago I didn't even know any of those things existed, so it really doesn't take any skill at all. :D

    Sure, why not? Give them essentially a 88mm Flak 37 from WWII. Good for longer-range high-altitude targets.

    Like this, but on a tank:

    [IMG]
    • Up x 7
  4. Sagabyte

    Would the prowler get a two-shot cannon though?
  5. Ronin Oni

    You REALLY hate air don't you....
    • Up x 13
  6. ColonelChingles

    If I've learned anything it's the TR will complain about most things, so a single cannon should save some trouble down the road.

    3 minutes of messing around with Frankensteining a Dalton to a Vanguard resulted in the 150mm Flak Tank:

    [IMG]

    Kinda also looks like an artillery piece. :confused:
    • Up x 14
  7. Sagabyte

    FTFY

    On a serious note, most TR are reasonable, but some will complain about anything until it is useless

    On a more serious note, try a shredder on a vanny. Maybe a gun setup like that for all factions could work
    • Up x 2
  8. ColonelChingles

    How can you not? Pilot elitism and "special snowflake" mentalities make it all the easier.

    Essentially you have skygods running around and claiming that they should be untouchable for a number of reasons:
    1) "We have more skill!" Because the silly hover mechanics of PS2 are really that hard... :rolleyes:
    2) "We take more resources!" Not if you're talking about a Sunderer or MBT, so why not mount ginormous AA weapons to those?
    3) "We take more teamwork!" A 2/3 Liberator takes as many people as a 2/2 MBT to operate, and can seat much less than a 12 person Sunderer.
    4) "You need to pull air to fight air because air is a counter to ground!" Well now you need to pull ground to fight ground units that are the dedicated counter to air.
    5) "But I might get... killed!" Cry me a river. You certainly don't shed any tears over all the peasants on the ground you've slaughtered.

    I mean there was one guy who was saying that in combined arms air is at the top of the hierarchy for... reasons I guess. And a whole lot of other pilots who say that AA should not kill air, just scare it away.

    How can such people even be remotely rational or likeable (in the context of PS2 at least, I'm sure they're perfectly fine human beings otherwise)?

    Anyhow, the point of all these additions is to play the skygods at their own game, to use their own rationalization to introduce OP vehicles that will burn them to the ground.

    Then, when air and ground are equal at the bargaining table, will skygod pilots perhaps be more amenable to really looking at toning down their OP kits.
    • Up x 29
  9. ColonelChingles

    New NS promotional materials!

    [IMG]

    The NS-19 SAM has been renamed to the "Sinkalip" instead of the "Coyote". This was done at the request of the remaining portion of the NS marketing division, who suggested that all SAM systems start with "S" to avoid confusion.

    Fortunately "Sinkalip" is just another word for "Coyote" from the Salish Native American dialect from the Pacific Northwest. :p

    The size of the missiles themselves has been increased slightly, as NS engineers figured out that weight isn't as big a deal now that the missiles are mounted on tanks. As a result, damage is increased slightly from the ESF and Liberator versions.

    Incidentally the NS-19 designation was inspired by the old 21st century SAM system, the SA-19 Tunguska:

    [IMG]

    Minus the cannons of course.
    • Up x 3
  10. Beeman

    • Up x 3
  11. ColonelChingles

    The NS marketing division has been hard at work!

    [IMG]

    Essentially the same as first introduced. Still a good old sky shotgun. Based off of the old SA-22/Pantsir-S1 of the 21st century.

    [IMG]

    Again, minus the cannons because balance, people!
    • Up x 4
  12. FaLI3N

    Mounting air weapons to ground vehicles would be the funniest thing ever :D We have less mobility and apparently less armor therefore we should at least get their firepower.

    As a sidenote do you think you could frankenstein a model of a basin or something on top to catch the tears?
    • Up x 7
  13. Greiztoph

    Give me a dalton on my Prowler, I don't care if it's single shot
  14. GaBeRock

    Shredder on a lightning would be absolutely terrifying. I'd like some all-around nerfs to shredder against ESFs before that happened (shredder would be even better at farming infantry from a ground platform anyways.) Pretty much the only thing keeping the shredder in any way balanced right now is the need for teamwork to use it.
  15. ColonelChingles

    I somehow don't think that making the Shredder Lightning be a 2-person vehicle would help the situation. All they'd have to do is park somewhere and instantly switch seats, just as Liberators do now.
  16. GaBeRock

    Seat switching with liberators severely lowers accuracy and makes your aircraft more likely to get hit. Except for the mlg pros, teamwork is required to use a shredder.
  17. ColonelChingles

    Not correct to the first point, but correct to the second. Then again a Lightning that's sitting still is also more likely to get hit, so there you go.

    I do agree that the Shredder (both Liberator and Lightning) should get a general nerf against ESFs though. Get flak for ESFs, use Shredders to take down Liberators.
  18. TheBlazing

    Half of these are pre-existing weapons strapped on the Lightning chassis.

    So no.

    We need new weapons designed specifically to do a specific job at countering air. You can't just put Coyotes and Shredders on top of a Lightning and call it a day. Also, ground AA should never be a permanent solution to air. If you have no air support of your own, enemy air should eventually come back after it has finished repairs.

    If anything, there should be more EXP rewards for forcing enemy pilots to retreat. Battlefield had a "disable" sytstem, so why not do something similar in Planetside? If an enemy air vehicle leaves your combat zone with less than 40% health, give the ground AA unit that caused it to do so a beefy EXP bonus (300?).

    I'd rather see more deterrence-oriented and "leave now or you'll be gibs" solutions.
    • Up x 3
  19. Gundem


    Would people complain if Surface to Air gave 50 exp a tick? Nay, even 100?

    If AA got more certs, we'd see more smaller groups of AA. We'd still have the massive clusters of AA that keep air from even entering the hex(Which could be somewhat solved by reducing it's range), but we'd actually see the occasional Skyguard or two in random forces, just because they know they can get some beefy EXP just by firing at air.

    Further more, I think assists for aircraft should be increased. People don't like running in AA squads because there is only one potential person who can actually get the kill, everyone else is screwed over with some puny assist. If Air assists gave almost as much as an air kill, who wouldn't want to take a few potshots at a full HP craft, just knowing it'll go down later?

    Plus, the assist timer should last significantly longer in the case of aircraft. Many times they leave to repair, and several passes later they are downed by focused AA or another ESF(Or more likely a tree). But, those people who shot before are deprived of EXP because they didn't happen to be there for when the pilot made a mistake.
    • Up x 3
  20. ColonelChingles

    My friend, do I have an AA solution for you!

    [IMG]
    • Up x 4