[Vehicle] Why Tomcats are amazing!!!

Overpowered compared to?

Compared to fuel pods and nose guns. Keep in mind coyotes and tomcats are not supposed to be upgrades, they're supposed to be side grades.

A lot of that overpoweredness is not the raw numbers but due to some bugs (sort of) and sloppy implementation.

It is my understanding that the nose guns are AI weapons. Roughly equivalent to long range SMGs that do about 10-20% more damage to armor.

http://planetside.wikia.com/wiki/Vehicle_armor_and_damage_resistance

Why do you want to compare a anti-infantry weapon to a anti-vehicle weapon when used against vehicles? Why do I then why to say a AV weapon is clear OP against vehicles when compared to a infantry weapon that by design does significantly less damage to vehicles?

Did I read that chart wrong?

I'm not sure what you're reading on that chart. There are AI nose guns, the LPPA, AH, and banshee. I'm talking about the default and rotary, which are described as all purpose and specialized for AA, respectively. But the defaults are almost useless against armor, not great against infantry, and on the same damage table as the rotary so it's generally considered an AA weapon.

Actually in the OP, i was shot down by the guy's liberator friend. He didn't kill me, the liberator's tail gunner did while I was hover dueling, so all you people claiming I am bad can go get shot down.

I can use all the weapons I have on the esf effectively and on factions which are not my main faction I don't even have tomcats unlocked and just fly nosegun esf for fun. The only fighter I do not have much time in at all with a2a dueling is scythe, because I do not have a vanu char that is high enough level and TR (my main faction) usually has the leaast pop on my server anyway so I dont want to play my vanu at those times. I love flight sims (traditional ones like Freespace 2 and airplane games) and also think anyone who wants to nerf the way reverse thrust etc play into PS2's air game are crazy, because despite liking the more traditional type, PS2 has areally fun and unique flight mechanic that I like a lot. (There are people who like both, Surprising I know)

I am pretty good with the nosegun, good enough that this particular reaver actually would have died to me despite him having fire suppression and me not. I basically killed him 1.5 times, but the fight went long enough that by the time I was shot down by his outfit mate in the lib, he fire suppressed a second time and avoided dying. He would not have lived had his friend not shot me down, but go on assuming that I am bad.

And dont say "well hes a scrub". He was not terrible or it would have been easy to beat him with a nosegun and ab tanks.

Simple fact is, I make it a point to hunt down people using fire suppression, by using tomcats fi I know they are vulnerable to tomcats by not running flares. Their only option is to engage with a nosegun or run away. Since half these "nsoegun only" people are not very good at using AB tanks to run, i just finish them off with a nosegun. Most of the ppl who come in are hurting enough that even if they do happen to have a nosegun skill set, I gained the upper hand over their fire suppression by forcing them to bleed it before they were within range. It's called tactics.

I like flares personally because that is what I spent the most certs on and I do not feel liek re-certing FS just to play by someone elses rules.Because I like close air support a2g against even defended bases, I like flares for preventing ground locks. Tomcats are rare enough that I do not use flares to coutner them, but rather angry infantry.

The reason I posted this thread is simple

1. Pilots who rely on a health pad that fire suppression provides come in here claiming skill when in reality, the only people they beat are people without fire suppression. Not every pilot needs FS to win, some of them use it to take on more than one, or as an escape. But most pilots mash it at high health hoping to live long enough to use it a second time (like the guy i was fighting was able to do because someone else shot me down) because having 125% hp over the course of the fight lets them last against ppl with better aim and skill with the nosegun, people they can only fight now thanks to health padding.
2. Same pilots claim a2a tomcats and coyotes are "OP" cause they actually pose a consistent threat to fire suppression certed ESF's. A truly skilled nosegun/ab tank pilot does not have to reply on FS or flares or a particular utility to win. The air game in planetside 2 is one in which, skill CAN counter these things. MY advice to you if tomcats are such an issue? get better, like you are telling all the "bad" pilots to do. No really good pilot I have seen has ever seemed to take issue with lockons or the like, just the ones who want to "think" they are good
3. Same pilots bail to save KD while calling lockons cheese, the epitome of self grandiose dellusions. "Cant have muh KD messed up, but anything that shoots down muh plane also OP"

Im not calling FS 5 op (though its totally over used, its like how flares became mandatory before with how "mandatory" fire suppression has become in the air meta) but I am saying that I used the right tool for the job.

He chose vulnerability to me by using FS instead of flares. He died.

But for him to lose his plane to lockons, he was mad, (And also apparently not confident enough to rush me with nosegun, like a true "skilled" player would have)

I use tomcats because I got them a long time ago when fire suppression was not the end all of the air utility slots and I am too involved certing infantry or hwatever fits my whim at the time, to bother going full Ham on fire suppression and coyotes.

I play ALL aspects of the game, and I do not consider a2g overpowered (I love doing a2g role as well as playing infantry and warding off aircraft or sniping or blowing up tanks or running around as HA) do not assume that I am some "ground peasant" who is "bad at flying" because it makes you feel better about bruised egos when a lockon kills you.

Bottom line is, there are people who can fly, and fly well, who choose the right tool over the tool you think they should for your KD

OH and the reason I left the lib part off the full story? cause it was not really that relevant to what I wanted to say, but since people come in here acting like "U SUCK CUZ U UZE DE TOMCATS" I added it in.

Afraid I'm going to have to break something to you here, thats a game design/extreme casual issue, not what were discussing here.

Nosegun is good up close, like a shotgun. Tomcats are the opposite, you have to use them as the situation requires. Also they aren't a side grade, to nose guns, they are in a different slot. If anything you could compared them to coyotes and fuel pods, each usefull in different situations.

The fundamental problem is, fuel pods are strictly worse than A2AM/coyotes. Since buffing AB just makes the new player experience worse (old pilots are even better at flying circles around newbies, wee!) Lockons need to be nerfed instead.

And fuel pods are, in fact, AA secondaries. "But they're good with AI noseguns!" Sure, but coyotes are better, and you're not going to claim they're A2G weapons, are you?

Assuming the data mining is correct? Planetside is a little more complicated then your giving it credit.

Hm What I'm reading? The default rotery guns are all listed as Aircraft Machine Guns. Assuming the chart is correct they at average 23.85% less then then their listed damage against anything that's not infantry. Against ESFs they do 37.5% of their listed damage. (Ergo I call them AI weapons.) Their only a step apart from small arms (most infantry weapons) in that small arms do not damage or do greatly reduced damage against vehicles.

In the strictest sense of the word ESF noseguns are 'effective' against everything in that there's nothing is entirely immune to them. Like say a lightning is not hurt by a SMG. A SMG doesn't do trivial to a lightning, it literally does no damage.

A2A locks are classified as Medium Anti-Armor Ordnance. They do 27.5% more, not less, then their listed damage to ESFs! They on average do 13.9% more then their listed damage to vehicles. Most certainly a anti-vehicle weapon.

So, that is why I ask why your comparing the two. The A2A locks "Compared to fuel pods and nose guns" are in a whole other category then just another weapon.

To put it another way ...

The Saron Laser Cannon has a RoF of 706 RPM and max damage of 220 per shot. Giving it a max DPS of ~2588.67 in single clip. A ESF has a armor resistance value of 62.5 against 'Aircraft Machine Gun'. The Saron Laser Cannon is going to do only ~970.75 damage per clip to a ESF's 3000hp.

Edit: At the theoretical best, that means it's going to take just over 3 clips to kill a ESF with a Saron Laser Cannon.

Coyote Missiles have a RoF of 400RPM and do 100direct damage, and 200explosive damage for a total of 300 damage per missile. Give it a maximum DPS of 2000 in a single clip. A ESF has a armor resistance value of -27.5 against 'Medium Anti-Armor Ordnance'. Meaning Coyote Missiles are going to do 2550 damage damage per clip to a ESF's 3000hp.

Edit: At the theoretical best, that means it's going to take just over one clip to kill a ESF with Coyote Missiles. Despite their lower raw DPS.

Sound about right so far? (I don't fly ESF enough to proof those numbers yet.)

Which is why I ask "Compared to what?" followed by "Why are you comparing a anti-armor weapon to a anti-infantry weapon?"

Or, you could just take the AB pods off the wings so you don't need to compare them at all.

Please show me an example of this mythical PREY air zerg that people have talked about. The most PREY members I've seen flying together has been 3 and members who fly regularly are hovering around 5.

I think you forgot resist values. I think it takes 4-5 full volleys.

I'm assuming you used terrain exclusively to dodge them? If not, please share your amazing technique of dodging locks.

They aren't a2g. Also i never said anything about making new players experience better, I was trying to explain how each weapon has a purpose. Nosegun for close range, tomcats for longer ranges. Just like a shotgun is good at closer ranges but is unless in at longer ranges, this does not mean we nerf LMGs or rifles because all you want to use is shotgun. Just the same as tomcats shouldn't be nerfed because all you want to use is a nosegun.

I've killed Hej before, twice in one life as a stalker. Does that make me better? No, because I've seen how he plays an know he's better then me.

Also I'd like to meet the player who has gotten to BR100 without acquiring some skill.

Just let me laugh at that.
Here is RobesSalvador, which might be one of your characters. He's BR 75: https://www.planetside2.com/players/#!/5428130184565087361/

Here is RobesDF, which is definitely one of your characters (as he's the character that your youtube channel signature links to):
https://www.planetside2.com/players/#!/5428037477600927697/weapons

What happens if we check your vehicle kills in a Lightning?
153 vehicle kills on RobesSalvador, 226 vehicle kills on RobesDF. That's 379 vehicle kills total.
My own stats: https://www.planetside2.com/players/#!/5428011263282961265/vehicles
I got 882 vehicle kills. So even if you do try to improve, you have failed horribly so far. You might have tried to improve, both lightnings total time with is about the same as mine, but you haven't improved. You should have used the noobtubes first, so you can actually see improvement rather than a death screen. But I think you are full of ******** on this one.

Let's move on to pistols!
Your first pistol on RobesSalvador is the commisioner with 172 kills, 21% accuracy and 0,27 kills per minute. After that comes the repeater with 45 kills, 18% accuracy and 0,2 kills per minute.
Your first pistol on RobesDF is the Hunter QCX with 131 kills, 60% accuracy and 0,15 kills per minute
The pistol after that is the repeater again with 91 kills, 21% accuracy and 0,1 kills per minute.

My fist pistol is the NC4 Mag-Shot with 568 kills, already more than all the kills with your best 4 pistols across 2 accounts. It's got 37% accuracy and it's got a kills per minutes of 0,7 which is a bit less than if you added up all your kills per minute with your weapons. But this could ofcourse be caused by you running around with them to actually kill people with it.

Here is my suggestion. In case you aren't full of ******** and actually have been training with pistols only, you suck at it. In fact, you should still be training with the noobtubes since you still need to improve your regular skill. funnily enough, I've had to do as a requirement for some of the drunk ops we do in our outfit. What is pistols only fighting for? It's not to simply improve your skill. It's for when you are good enough to actually win battles with it, that you actually can see improvement and become better with it. Then afterwards you go back to your normal weapons, and you are that much better with them. It's not so you can become more skillful with pistols, it's so you become more skillful with your regular weapons.

In case you are full of ********. stop spouting your crap all over here. You don't seem to know what noobtubes are for, nor how to use skillful weapons to actually improve yourself.

then i am sorry, but A2A lockons are the only option for me since i want to play more than just air and don't want to dump too much certs into my scythe, while still wanting to be able to go on anti-air duty effectively for my outfit

i am amused by the people talking about "skillfull gameplay" while these are the same people rocketpodding infantry and are raging when you use a counterweapon against them that is clearly counterable by stealth and flares