Does anyone know what the lock on times are for the different G2A launchers? Older sources like Planetside Universe wiki list lock on times, with Annihilator having longer lock on than ES launchers (like this). But more up to date sources like Wikia don't give lock on times. Did they standardize them for all G2A lock ons or is Annihilator still at a disadvantage? And what about Swarm? [Originally asked in Swarm thread but no one answered ]
I think the NS Lockons have a longer lockon time, but that's to help offset their versatility. Swarm is pretty much a side-graded Annihilator with some super homing, but I find it falls short after some testing. 's Fun to watch an ESF Dodge around 'em, though.
Lock on times vary. The closer a target is the faster it locks. The maximum and minimun seconds of lock on and what distances? I have no idea.
Im not sure about the actual lock-on times, but just wanted to point out that (as far as i know) the closer the target is, the faster the launcher locks on. This may be a bit off topic. But I wish launchers had more variety. Either in the form of different launchers, or attachments. Like trading damage for faster lock time. Or velocity and more damage, but longer lock time. Or even no lock, but the rocket explodes like flak (with other disadvantages/benefits to balance it) etc.
Another thing to consider is that the Annihilator reloads 0.5 secs more quickly than ES launchers. For one-shot-per-mag launchers this is effectively a higher fire rate. So I wondered if this was balanced by quicker lock on for ES launchers, or if the Annihilator is a flat (but very small) upgrade for A2G.
I guess that stops it being a flat g2a upgrade strictly speaking, though personally I don't use dumbfires on air
It used to be listed on one of the weapon spread sheets, back when people still took the time to data mine it out of the client. I don't think much has changed, but these were the last numbers I remember off the top of my head. Each type of target has a different lock-on time, which is adjusted for distance. The base value against large aircraft is 2.5 or 3 seconds. Ground vehicles are about the same time as well. ESFs take an additional second for lock-on. The NS weapons also have an additional .75 to 1 second longer lock-on time for all target types (to offset the fact that they can lock both ground and air). Stealth obviously adds on top of this. Theres also some minor variations to the missile behavior depending on type. ES weapons will "chase" a target, while NS weapons "intercept" a target. Chasing missiles are better when fired with clean line of sight, as the missile can effectively chase a target around terrain as long as it can keep line of sight; however, they are really bad when fired perpendicular, as it takes longer to line itself up on the target (eatting into its flight time). Intercepting missiles examine the movement of the target, and attempt to get in front of it; this greatly improves the chance of hit, but makes it more likely to slam into terrain if it gets in the way.
