lock-ons everywhere

All the lies in this post in a row:
1: The title, which says there's lock-ons everywhere.
2: There's massive amounts of flak everywhere
3: ESF will die more to flak when there's less Lock-ons (the total number of ESF deaths to G2A in general will go down and only in a comparative sense will more ESF die to flak than lock-ons)
4: Hornet's splash is a problem (You've got Pods for that you dope! You might complain about it's direct damage but the splash was never something Hornets were supposed to have!). Additionally, the thermals should be making the AV duty easier don't you think?
5: The game is supposed to revolve around farming (asking for Hornets to be capable of farming infantry, which isn't even it's supposed target)
6: That ESF would use Flares when going dogfighting, rather than for A2G farming.
7: That current flares are inadequate. Fire Suppression is simply OP, flares aren't inadequate and already make you nigh invulnerable to lock-ons. Assuming ofcourse you use an ESF with half a brain and don't just hang there waiting for the next missile.

it takes 5 full salvos of coyotes to down a default esf and it takes 5 a2a lock on missiles .. the ammount of time it takes for all those 5 missiles to lock on and be reloaded should be plenty of time for you to do significant damage with your nosegun .. not to mention if you don´t have wingmounted weapons you have a greater boost than the coyote or lock on user ..

Heresy. No one flies with Composite Armor.

Please read my example again. I've turned in to one of those warpgate camping ***** because I can't dogfight near a fight. As soon as you engage another aircraft you start getting locks and pinged with flak, and this is close to the ceiling on many areas of these maps, especially Indar. If you run from the locks then the other ESF has an easy time finishing you, and if you finish the other ESF then the lock-ons get you. This has nothing to do with shooting ground. The way they've made infantry vs infantry its own little game needs to happen with air. Right now the only options by design are ganking noobs outside their warpgate or flying low and using cover to farm infantry, in which case lock-ons wouldn't help them anyway.

(If i was any good)
Every time I try to gain air superiority and help with AA i die from infantry with lockons. If i try to farm infantry i die to air.

This actually sums it up. Flares aren't needed for A2G, and aren't adequate for A2A.

Fly higher.

This is no where near the flight ceiling. The top is about 10,000 meters up if I can recall correctly, while maximum lock range is only about 250 meters away or so. Flak is now hard-capped at 250-350 meters ish as well. There is absolutely no way for ground forces to damage or engage an ESF way up in the upper atmosphere.

The only reason for a dedicated AA pilot to be so low is to attack other ESFs, which can be done from a much safer distance.

Lock-ons should not be killing you, at all. They're hardly even capable of doing so in the first place.

Base flak turrets have a range cap of 450 meters. Skyguards have no limit still, which I don't like. Lock-ons have greater reach than flak towers, so it is further than 450 meters. As far as flight ceiling goes, it depends on the map, but in your air vehicle UI it is the 1100< mark in the altimeter. Between the 1000 and 1100 range, likely 1050. At that height you stall and lose all control over the vehicle, including usage of weapons or abilities.

In the southern half of Indar, typically around The Crown, the actual ground is up around 450 meters already, and so ESFs cannot fly high enough to escape the range of Lock-on rocket launchers, or most flak that isn't from the tower itself. Esamir on the other hand has an extremely low ground level, so being near 1000 meters above the ground is actually possible. Amerish is the middle-ground between Indar and Esamir height-wise. All-in-all, Indar's northern reaches around the crater is exceptional for Air-to-Air combat if you fly at the height ceiling, though there is no cover to retreat to on the ground, as very few coral stacks even strategically placed for air vehicle land-and-repair zones. Even hiding behind an active enemy tech plant outer wall is better than landing behind coral.

You know, most aircraft fights don't happen on top of the fight. If you have the intelligence to pick a different area to fight like a Warpgate, you should have the intelligence to hang around the fight but not above it if it really bothers you.
But as 100% of the other air jockeys, you heavily exaggerate the amount of lock-ons around any fight, including large fights. While the chance that someone pulls a lock-on after you hang around increases the more players there are, there are few people carrying lock-ons all the time and even fewer that will have a constant view of the air and will be able to adequately attack you. The same for flak btw, but even worse considering that flak is truly a reactive weapon.

This is the purest of bullcrap. The whole problem with flak is that it completely exposes you to everything else. People rarely use it outside of larger fights as in smaller one's they are sitting ducks that can't even hide behind friendlies. And what reason would there be for people to magically start pulling more flak in off-hour fights? Why would that be a thing eh? It doesn't make sense, so you are just grasping at straws hoping that you convince yourself and maybe someone else.

It's also easy for A2A players to avoid them. And if you can't survive flak without fire suppression you've made a grave mistake. The lower amount of lock-ons will also mean less burst-damage on an ESF and a lower likelyhood that a flak weapon suddenly can kill an ESF in time. Same for pulling flares.

Suddenly you are saying it as a good thing, while just before you put it in a list of air-grievances. Why the change?
And threat detection optics are perfect for hunting vehicles.

You agree with... That the game revolves around farming, or that the Hornet isn't supposed to be killing infantry?

Funny, so far I've seen a grand total of 3 of A2A players ever use a flare even when A2A missiles were actually useful (mainly in gank squads). I've heard these myths of A2A players picking flares, but it's nothing more than a myth.

What you are describing is a problem with the lockons themselves, not a problem with flares. In fact, all you've done is write down some reasons why lock-ons need a buff, rather than the flares. Imagine that: Lock-ons suck at their intended role and can (according to you) only foil an A2A fight (which moronically is taking place above the only place where you can expect them, rather than some distance away). And you want to make lock-ons completely useless by making flares even better?
Additionally, many A2G and "A2A" farmers try to argue that they are doing combined arms by supporting their ground troops with air-superiority and murdering enemy ground. And when the ground units support their air units, it's suddenly frowned upon?

The fact that you can't escape your enemy when under G2A fire is the giant problem I've pointed out many times before about how aircraft combat is completely dominated by hover fighting+RM and any other fighting style is more likely to give your enemy an advantage than you. But which air jockey wants to have their niche taken away by opening up the air combat to everyone again...? None? Because they like their special snowflake status and to hell with balance?


Also, you mention that on Indar you get lock-ons all the time despite being at the flight ceiling. I've personally already proven that the flight ceiling is only in very very very extremely specific places too low so that you can be locked on.

Only If aircraft can no longer fire on ground forces from outside the range of G2A:
As currently AA can be near fully incapable of engaging aircraft that can fire upon them however.

Aka, Nearly all AA has a range limit, All aircraft can fire well beyond this limit, rendering AA vulnerable to AA due to range limitations if nothing else is even addressed.

As well, you must consider that G2A fire shouldn't mystically not exist while in the G2A range, due to Aircraft wanting to Duel that bloody close to Either the ground, or the Limited areas where this isn't a massive bubble of air that can not be touched.

Aircraft can fly to the warpgate in around a minute or less - Aircraft can also land nearly anywhere.
They are the only type of vehicle that can choose nearly anywhere to repair - And evade all but other aircraft during it.


Land Vehicles, can go only a small distance to repair or be destroyed by their engaged opponent before repairs even start.
IE Land vehicles rarely ever can escape the firing range, or movement range of their opponents let alone to Repair.
As well, they are limited by having to quite literally pray for roads, or hills to reach locations.
They can't look for a mountain, and just go over it to land: They have to go all the way around to achieve that.

yep rest of vihecles heal only 12%
but you dont look the HP

Sundy 7000HP - 12%FB = +840 HP
ESF : 3000HP - 25 %FB = + 750

with 12% you will get only 360HP, (2 Bullets of Gauß)

so stop saying, vihecles get only 12%, yepp 12% but from 7000HP 12%....

Only one vehicle, and a light one at that, has a free "oh crap, get out of here" button aka afterburners. And none of them are as fast or able to ignore terrain like aircraft. Not to mention that your example "conveniently" forgets that ground vehicles have to face more threats (mines, engineer AV, etc), that speed & maneuverability directly declines as ground vehicle health goes up (compare Harasser to an MBT), and do not have the luxury of attacking from every possible angle almost at will. If we want/ need to attack someone hiding behind a hill we have no choice but to get in close. Aircraft none of that matters because they're only true limits to engagement range are render distance, how far away the target is found, and the effective range of their weapon(s). For ground vehicles that extra health is literally required just to have a chance of doing damage. Note not secure a kill - just the chance of getting a kill.

Typical air ***** trying to focus everything on "hard numbers" while ignoring the biggest advantages of aircraft. The ability to ignore terrain-based impediments and unlimited mobility.

i wasn´t speaking about infantry or g2a i gave a clear fact of how much shots it takes to kill a base esf with weapons used on a esf, nice that you ignore that ..
you know you could fly in packs more often like of course if you go alone on noob hunting then anyone and their mother will spam lockons on you ... sounds more like a you problem ..
as for dogfighting i said many times before that flying esf´s is just super rubbish and just few are willing to go through hell to learn it so consider yourself lucky you don´t have more a2a lockons to deal with?
also if you dogfight above enemy territory than that is simply a matter of fact that something from the ground or air will hit you .. that is you being lured into a unsafe place .. in other words you got outplayed and you should know a ESF is not designed to stay in an area .. stupid hoverfighting or not ..

And here's the problem with pilots! Trying to prove stuff by cherrypicking and ignoring 90% of whats important.

"2 Bullets of a Gauss", which ignores 75% small arms damage reduction, COF, average range ESF get attacked from, damage degradation, ease with which the target can be hit etc.

According yo Yessme, getting 99% health (999hp) back for infantry is better than 25% (500HP) for a MAX. Because a MAX doesnt have 2 weapon arms or 80% basic small arms reduction. Pre charge removal he would have ignored that as well, because defensive or maneuverability options dont matter either, right?

ESF have the speed, range and flight as advantages, 25% extra health is great on an ESF that can avoid 95% of the weapons in the game and outrun 100% of the dedicated weapons designed to "counter" it, oh and murder 80% of those same dedicated weapons back. And when I say "murder back" I mean "the deterrents that are almost completely dependent on the pilots skill and decisions to kill him, while the pilot can decide to kill the G2A weapon without the G2A weapon having a chance to escape in a similar fashion".

I certainly agree with most of what you have said but I've noticed more and more HA running with G2A lock ons than I ever remember. To the point that flying is more of a chore than gameplay I enjoy.

Flying is still one of the hardest things to do and it's a whole lot less rewarding than it ever used to be. To the point where that 350 nanites are always better spent. I know I'm not a great pilot, but I'm not a novice either. Flying, for me at least, just ain't worth it unless I'm hunting Libs with A2A missles.

Gee I wonder why people have Lock-ons, could it be Air farmers from hell?

Less rewarding?

So podding entire groups, nose-gunning down entire small fights, for dozens of kills for a singular one-man aircraft without any nanite loss, is not rewarding enough these days.

Well, go drive a MBT, when you finally get to a fight, see how much AV there is, and how easily you die while having killed maybe 5 targets.
That is, if an LA doesn't appear out of a Valk with C-4, or an Engineer with Tank mines.

Yes, C-4, the thing only the ground has to worry about.
Same with Tank Mines, effective counter-weapons, and being unable to leave the battlefield before taking numerous hits.

But hey, that's not rewarding as near guaranteed kills apparently.
Oh I'm sorry, lets grant back the full Lol-Pods and Cert-vision of ESFs.
Or the Dalton that cleared out squads, on the Liberator.
Or hell, lets ensure Flak is even more useless without 3x the nanite investment just to drive away a single Pilot with entire squads of AA.
--

You notice the edge & sarcasm?
For 350 nanites, an ESF has the easiest time finding fights, and profiting.

450 nanites gets your a Max suit, for AA , that needs 2-6 more Maxes.
For AV, needs help, or multiple maxes.
Of Infantry.

For vehicles, your aircraft is more valuable than the Lightning - which has only 1 main weapon.
The MBT has equal weapons, but needs 2 Operators, and is usually a massive target.

Flight controls are horrid, however the rewards per nanite cost, are in air's favor.
The damage capability, is also in air's favor.
Repair times? Air.

Hunting Liberators with a2a missiles.
There's your problem: You're hunting the Sky Tanks, not raking in the souls of the ground.
Nothing on the ground equals the danger of a better armed & armored Sky Tank, I mean Liberator.

The flight ceiling is 1000 meters from sea level, so how far off the ground it is depends on the terrain below it. South indar for example only has about 500m before you hit the ceiling, whilst northern indar has around 900m.

Lock ons have a maximum lock range of 450m, Flak base turrets have 450 too (or is it 500?), whilst all other flak & AA sources are render range of 1000m. Maybe you should try these things before posting non-sense like 10,000m flight ceiling.

Do they? I always forget. They really ought to make it more obvious; Currently the projectiles just disappear for the turret, so I don't know exactly when they "explode." Skyguards are awful and useless. Terribad accuracy and pathetic damage, they need the range.

It would seem you are correct, the flight ceiling is actually only ~500 meters up. The highest I could make it was 510 meters. Didn't stall for long though, only about a couple seconds.

I'm afraid I do not know the exact maxium range of lock-ons, but I am quite sure they absolutely do not have longer range than Flak turrets, much less than 450 meters. I dream of a 450 meter lock range.

Regardless, if you can't fly above the locks, fly away from them. The land surrounding the Crown is generally much lower. It is currently possible for ESFs to out-range Flak turrets, for all the difference that makes for the turret operator. Lock-ons don't come close to affecting enemy aircraft at such ranges either. Just hover over there and shoot at the enemy to draw 'em over. Ya' know, assuming the turrets are even manned/functional and there are lock-ons with nothing better to do.

See above.

You don't fly. So just stop talking **** you know nothing about.

Yes - but try a bit of trigonometry. The flight ceiling might be 500m straight up at 90 degrees from the ground surface - but by the time you factor in angle of attack - the actual distance to target can be well over 500m.

The fact is - most of the time, ground pulls AA to counter A2G farmers. I was in a biolab fight today and we had 3-4 mossies with lol popds and a couple of libs and a gal all bombarding the landing pad infantry.

Next thing - several friendly heavies with lockons and a couple of dual burster maxes spawn - and the mossies and libs piss off.

Sorry to break it to you - but you skyknights bring it on yourselves.

Don't want lockon and burster hell - don't farm infantry for LOLs. There was plenty of friendly air to attack and loads of vehicles - so why farm the biolab landing pad.......cos it's easy certs.....that's why.

Face facts - you just hate anything that interrupts your cert farm.......am I right?