Only one side of this fight has any fun playing the game. When is something going to be added or changed that makes trying to defend your buds from A2G farmers fun? I want an EMP rocket that disables vehicle controls for 3 seconds after impact. Cruising along looking for other air? Your momentum keeps you flying straight, no biggie. Farming the ground 30m above the spawn room pointed down? Now your ESF starts falling to the ground.
I hear ya, and when an ESF dedicates its load out and its focus on ground (specifically infantry) it can be a real pain. However, as a frequent ESF user and sometimes A2G bully, here are some tips: 1. Get, equip and use a G2A launcher. I realize these are hard to kill with solo, but remember, while there are scores of infantry in a battle, there are only a handful of ESFs, so immediate and easy launcher kills of ESFs doesn't make sense. But the rocket refocuses the ESF onto the defensive for a bit. 2. AA Max, ya...expensive, ouch. But they make ESFs run fater than a Portland, OR based protester runs from a bath. 3. Fire at ESFs with your main weapon. All slot 1 weps damage ESFs, carbines, scout rifles, LMGs, etc. 4. Ask your nearby allies to do all of the above. Most pilots will leave a fight if it gets hot. I don't, but I r not smard. <hovers and gets AP'd by JadenDevon> As far as your EMP idea...how about "disables ESF weapons" instead of controls? But I hear ya Smallzz. I hear ya. I stopped most use of ESF vs Infantry on Connery---but lately I've taken back to the Banshee skies out of spite towards VS. Ain't nobody got time for Verpes. And the banshee cures Connery VS insistance on "shuffling" (aka Dolphin Diving from 2005 era).
If you happen to play TR, then use the Striker. If you play VS or NC, then pull a Burster max. I really don't think A2G is a problem, but that the lack of Infantry tools on NC and VS to deal with air is the issue. A quick fix for all of this would be to give the default launchers the Striker mechanic. TR would then need somethinbg special for their launcher. Maybe more damage per salvo. Idk. But NC and VS need something like the Striker.
I need to make a montage or something to link here of my lancer gameplay. I swear I am not even close to god tier, but lancing AI air is easy enough and no one seems to respect the lancer. I'd take it over the striker every single time.
It's less about how many kills you get and more about how you can interact with the fight, if at all. A single Striker heavy or Spawnroom Burster can end air's fight in that Hex, or even an AA tower. Whether or not those weapons are pulled or if they already exists is what dictates how many kills, if any.
You want more tools to fight air? Okay, then let's remove the ability for spawn room maxes. That alone can scare away air vehicle with no risk. With this new bounty system you can now clearly see the burster maxes having bounties on them. And guess what? We in the air can't even touch them cause they just right back into the spawn room. YOU just want to be able to kill any Air without trying. And before you even try talking about me farming ground you'll be wrong, I don't farm ground. Yeah I get a few kills here and there but I like to go after air. Even though I own all air weapons for both my mossie and lib. Don't most players play heavies? Why don't you just use rockets? Pull a max. Oh yeah to much work. If we took the time to cert into a esf why can't you take the time into a max? And with lower risk!!!!
..The only low risk aspect, is due to the Spawn-room itself. Your ESF costs less than the MAX, and is dead in less than a second outside of literal invulnerability. I'd say most would happily lose Maxes in Spawn-rooms pinging air, if Air was not this PITA to engage. The tools are not fun (For either side, Air or Ground) TTK is on Air's side, as is durability (Which is a bit comic) An ESF costs the same as a Lighting-tank, but has twice the firepower, more speed, more features. An AA Max, is 1k certs per the 2nd arm, 450 Nanites & outside of spawn, is vulnerable to everything on the field, including being near instantly killed by an ESF with their secondary-weapon. An AOE weapon able to effectively damage any target type, often paired with an AOE Anti-infantry gun that can also damage any target-type, on the fastest platform, with built-in radar & auto-repair for Pilots. We need to replace the defense however. Since, otherwise, there is pretty much no way to stop an A2G farmer near a spawn, since unlike PMBs, there is no cover or sky-shield around the spawn-room... just a killing field. But it doesn't need the sheer range (I hope), typical of AA (Due to the sheer range of Aircraft, and speed) If an MBT is engaged by a Heavy with a rocket-launcher, it can't as easily flee the entire battle, and find a fight without rockets. An ESF can be hit by a stray bullet, and flee to the other side of the entire map inside a minute, to find a fight where it doesn't get shot at. A Liberator, can do the same: Air has the ability to pick their fight, and disengage entirely. This means, they can avoid any resistance of any kind: Which when it's Piss-poor Deterrent-style, is a bit understandable. As it's endless chip-damage, that doesn't reflect anything from the shooter at all; It's either laughable, or near instant death. So naturally, the armor of the ground, can't flee from chip-damage. And their counters are designed to kill - but have walls from spawn-rooms that block both paths of fire, more commonly. Air can flee from any counter but itself - which are designed to piss-off not kill - and there is no practical cover for either. That MAX costs more than the ESF, and upon leaving the spawn-room, will die to the first enemy that comes upon it: Infantry, MAXes, ESFs, Liberators, MBTs, Lightings, Sunderers even. Why? As it's the slowest target that costs MBT & Liberator prices, with Deterrent guns - It dies in less than a second to an ESF. I wonder why they don't leave Spawn-rooms. Or why a pilot wants people to spend 450 nanites, that can't leave the base let alone the hex inside 10 seconds. Did you know, that those AA maxes are effectively worthless past that room without sheer guards - But if they leave the room, the Pilots can deplete 450 nanites from anyone with an AA MAX, if not better if they can kill one. Perhaps re-work the Dynamic, rather than go call for a 450 Nanite expense, to be called at something that can run inside a second, leaving it useless. Or the Rockets; Which is also hilarious, given their limitations & numerous hard-counters available to air. Which include Disabling the entire weapon system - and detonating every lock-on mid-flight at the same time. Did I mention, the price difference? Invulnerability is BS, but so is the cheapest Air dominating things that are the most expensive dedicated Anti-Air platform.
The problem with G2A is numbers. If G2A is too strong, aircraft become unplayable in bigger fights. That being said, the amount of infantry it takes to be a threat to a good Lib is insane. Lockons take way too long, new players have to buy AA or are stuck with 1/2 of a Burster MAX - that costs more nanites than the Lib and is easier to kill btw. Aircraft, and especially the lib, being so durable, is the reason why there is always some lib duo later at night farming infantry. There is ZERO threat for them. Easy farming <12v<12 fights, if they pull AA, just switch to another fight. Only thing that doesn't take a lot of people that can stop them are other aircraft of same skill, but those are busy farming infantry on the other side of the map. My take on this would be: Give HA a new heavy weapon baseline. It's a single Burster. That way new players can be as effective as with their MAXes but neither have to spend Certs nor Nanites. Since this occupies 100% the same niche as the Striker, give the Striker homing on vehicles and some AP via a secondary fire mode or ammo type. Also remove range limits on AA and let infantry look up 90°. Because sometimes a Lib/Gal hovers so high it either can't be looked at and aimed for or it's out of range of most AA weapons. By the way, Skyguard is garbage. Low damage output, high spread, slow bullet velocity, super vulnerable to everything (LA, vehicles, even air).
