Why are people always calling A2A missile skilless?

Feel free to link the video. Even if its not up to date now (missiles now seem to turn quite a lot faster) it would be interesting to see.

Also for clarification here I'm not talking about G2A missiles. They are not the issue. A2AMs are.
I have still too see anyone propose a reliable method of "dodging" missiles - ie. something not involving getting behind cover (as cover is a luxury you very often don't have, with the possible exception of the SE Indar canyons where cover is much more abundant due to the general terrain layout).

Considering missiles now turn on a dime I have a hard time envisioning what kind of maneuver that could even be used. Here is a fun fact - you can lock missiles and fire them in the exact opposite direction of the target and they will still hit with ease. It happened a couple of times to me just in the 40-something killstreak using A2AMs to test them right after the servers went back up. I'd guesstimate from what I've seen so far that the missiles have a turning radius post-patch of a couple of meters at the most - if the visual graphics are correct with how the game tracks the missile at least.

-Stigma

A2A missiles and rotary cannons are entirely two different play styles. Missile operators give up not just ground attack ability but also the following:

* The element of surprise (if the opening strike is with a missile)
* Reliance on the missile may develop
* Time spent waiting on missile lock could be used to shoot down a target
* Not that great vs experienced pilots

It does have its advantages:
* After making the presence known, element of surprise loses its value
* Allows longer distance engagements
* Great vs newbie pilots (then again, cannons are also great vs someone new to flying)
* Induces panic

Lets get something straight, the inherent issue between Rotary users and Missiles users is.
- Evasive action against a Rotary/ Gun user, will result in missed shots. Any movements to avoid getting shot will generally result in some bullets missing. Multiple ESFs will still find it difficult to take down a good pilot dodging shots.

- Evasive action against an A2AM user, will do nothing. Pop flares and pray that there is some sort of rock, reef, cliff, building to hide behind because in 7 seconds you are going to eat another, and another, and another. Heaven forbid there be 2 ESF using A2A because then you are instagibbed and there wasn't a thing you could do about it.

^Best post in this thread.

Cause everything that can kill you is either OP or skill-less.
And this is how most MMO games are turned into mediocre crap by their own players.
"If it can kill me, then it needs a nerfing or a difficulty raise TO MY OWN SUPPOSED LEVEL OF SKILL".

Not really. How I fly I rarely get shot down by A2A. This really has nothing to do with how it effects me or not, I just stated my opinion on how it is easy to use. Thx again.

I've used A2AM's....

I have them available on 1 of my loadouts...

I never use it cause it's boring and I feel cheap for using it.

I now use Rotary + Afterburner fuel for my air superiority fighter.

Much more fun and no AI controlled hits.

So he has the best post because he suggests pilots who get shot down by A2A missiles are skill-less because they cannot avoid a weapon that is inherently completely unavoidable by its design. Oddly enough, it's the same Infantry farming Rocketpodders that you all get so butt hurt over, that have an advantage in being close to the ground, as it affords them ample time to get behind objects that would protect them from A2A missiles. Golly Gee.

Not meant to be specifically about you. In fact, its totally in general. We have this discussion with EVERY god damn vehicle, faction, weapon, player.
Too good? Too useable? I died to it more than 4 times in a row? NERF IT

I suggest the l33t dogfighters just eat the first missile then, and instead use the 7 seconds to get on his tail. He cant lock on to you from there, can he? For that matter, why is he allowed to stay on you long enough to get a lock in the first place? Von Richthofen would not approve!

Personally I have learned to accept that regardless of class or vehicle, you will be bushwhacked from time to time and be unable to do a thing about it. The only protection against that is to bring friends that cover you.

The short answer is that some A2G pilots like to be immortal and/or like dogfights... whilst all A2A pilots would prefer to use rockets as they're more versatile than A2A missiles (which are rather useless against good pilots anyway)
- A2G pilots can be immortal when everyone else on the battlefield is equally immortal to them.
- pilots can choose to die only in dogfights, when my infantry gets to select 'pistols at dawn' rather than 'rocketpod lol'.

The long answer is that A2A in PS2 is broken:
- detecting enemy aircraft is a bit of a joke, and there's nothing you can select to improve this.
- the HUD has nothing useful for A2A combat, and all the sights are utterly useless. Thermal/IR/zoom? lol.
- all the ESF options are equally valid for A2G and A2A combat, the only exception being A2A missiles/rocketpods.

A2A missiles can be nerfed when the ESF gets a proper A2A role, or we get a new A2A fighter.

1. Eating the first missile isn't very smart, there is no way of knowing how many missiles are already in the air pursuing you. If you get hit by 2, you are instantly on fire and have lost the ability to maneuver. If you get hit by 3, instantly dead.

2. Infantry vs Infantry, Tank vs Tank, and so on, none of these have weapons that are so powerful or accurate against one another that it completely demands you flee from the fight. Let alone the fact those fights take place on the ground where terrain is already an essential part of fighting. However, in the air, once A2A is used on you, your only chance is to run from the fight and hide from it. Sure, in the off chance it's just one ESF using it on you out in the middle of nowhere you can turn on him and kill him, but if its 2 or 3, forget about it.

Golly gee they aren't unavoidable if you don't suck at flying and aren't trying to lone wolf it 24/7 :|

All this does is give the skill ceiling for flying a bit of a nudge upwards. People getting butt hurt about it are just realizing they weren't nearly as good as they thought they were since the good pilots will get on just fine despite this.

AA missiles are lock on, nuff said.

First of all, its not about 1v1.
But if the Tank or Infantry manages to get behind you undetected, you are as good as dead. And the same goes if you get jumoed by 2 or 3 at the same time. And if you run over a mine? DeadRightThere, something that doesnt happen in the air.

Yes, it may be easy to fire a missle and hard to avoid it.
But it is no different from how the rest of planetside works

These, THESE SO MUCH!. I use A2A to increase my DPS and since I use them in combination with the rotary I have dispensed justice uppon the hoverspammers and liberators many times. Nothing feels better than seeing your missile blow a smoking enemy out of the sky and getting that "streak stop" bonus knowing justice has been served.

A2Am are just cheap. However one of my favorite moments was destroying an enemy lib by flying just above it and then back down having the missile following me hit it instead.

Ah this thread again.

Decrease the "lockability" of missiles and save keyboards everywhere of drool pools.

Because it is? Or is aiming out of style now?

Because they don't take skill. That's what the definition of skillless means.

Um, you don't have to aim the zephyr. The 2-hit kill zone post nerf is still the size of a sunderer.