[Suggestion] Skyguard Ajustment

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Clipped!, Aug 22, 2018.

  1. Clipped!

    Anyone else had a fight against a stationary Lib at short range while in a skyguard, only for them to blow you up and survive with 20-ish percent health even though you where getting direct hits, had started shooting at the same time as them, only their belly gunner was shooting you and wasn't hitting the side or rear or your tank? I don't think this sort of thing should be happening, as the skyguard is supposed to be anti-air cannon for a tank, but if it can't even kill a close range, stationary Lib by itself in a 1v1 fight versus only the belly gunner, let alone unable set it on fire before being destroyed, then some changes are definitely needed. Most likely with Liberator's damage reduction to skyguard (HMG damage type), as idiots with ESF's die plenty fast enough from skyguards due to them taking two times more flak damage than Libs do.
    • Up x 1
  2. HomicideJack

    Skyguards have been needing a buff forever, my man. As the sole purpose-built AA platform, it gets out-DPS'd by even a lone Walker harasser, and really should be more powerful. Instead of being an air deterrent, it needs to be a direct counter to aircraft.

    I'm relatively sure I made a thread like this 2 years ago and all the liberator pilots came on and starting bashing the idea... for obvious reasons.
    • Up x 4
  3. LaughingDead

    You forget the lib is an anti-tank platform.

    A lightning is still a small support tank. It's basically the equivilent of expecting to win against a 2/2 AP prowler or other MBT in direct combat with python AP.

    The lib in your example is playing to the strengths of nullifying the flak explosion, but still at great risk to himself, he could easily be hit by any other projectile in range which would include any launcher and tank shell.

    I mean, you said yourself that the skyguard already nukes any ESF in range, it's simply a matter of ESFs on your side dealing with the libs.
    • Up x 1
  4. Wingthong

    If I am able to get within close range of you, and show my dmg resisting belly to you before you even started shooting me then YOU have done something wrong. As a lib player I should be rewarded for taking a flanking route and catching you off guard, even if you are a dedicated anti air platform, you shouldn't be able to just delete aircraft that even come within render of you. as the guy above said, lib is an anti tank platform, so why are you complaining that it counters tanks?
    side note if I wanted to kill you even faster to take less damage, I would either one clip you with tankbuster or just give you 2 daltons to the rear :) then use ransack and fly away healthy.
    • Up x 1
  5. Daigons

    The Lightning vehicle itself needs some Dev love.
    • Up x 2
  6. Khaader

    That is just like asking to be able withstanding a galaxy with full crew shooting at you being just a lightning... it makes no sense, it's firepower it's about the same but it has flak armor so it cannot die so fast. Anyways, if a Lib flanks you and destroys you is that he has the high ground but remember that as a Lightning against a tankbuster you have the range advantage, so it is all a trade of advantages and disadvantages.
    • Up x 1
  7. OldMaster80


    The fact is one single Skyguard is not enough to take down a Liberator. Personally I am fine with that, after all it's a 3-men gunship! I dislike instead Liberators have Afterburners. Liberators should be slow, clumsy, and hard-hitting, I would love to see them tank even more hits but unable to perform fast retreats.

    What I really hate is you often cannot even destroy stationary ESFs: free Afterburner, Fire Suppression (buffed compared to the ground vehicles' version), and free Auto Repair make them too squishy and durable for the poor Skyguard. Not to mention that supid flight model hybrid between a helicopter and a supersonic jet: that allows them to play peek-a-boo behind cover and carefully aim at defenseless infantry. They should have never been like that. Imo only the Valkyrie should be able to hover using vertical thrusters.

    The only thing I would change of the Skyguard is the cone of fire bloom: that's insane and it does not even allow to shoot infantry in short range, making pilots basically defenseless against C4 fairies. I would like to see sustained fire penalized, and encourage shorter bursts against ground targets.







    Naaa, devs think it's more fun to give ESFs even more free perks, nerf the Valkyrie again, and give invisible quads such weapons that can instakill a tank when in combo with a rocket launcher.


    I've been around since beta I've tried to keep a positive mindset for ages: after last updates I have lost any trust they have clue about how to balance the game. I do not want to sound rude but reality is from this point of view they are doing an awful job and the vehicle game is at the worst point since the gave has been released.
    They look at statistics damage and kills (which is good), but they do not play enough to do things right, they seem unable to put the numbers in the right context.
  8. UberNoob1337101

    A small support tank costing 350 nanites, while a small buggy with a gun on top is not only over two times cheaper, but also has more survivability and firepower, even while used solo.

    I wouldn't pay 350 nanites to play Assistside 2 for a few minutes.
  9. UrielSeptimIV

    The whole concept of the Skygyard should be changed:
    Lower the mag size, increase reload time drastically but increase overall DPS. Skyguard should destroy ESFs on very short range almost instantly or leave a Liberator with 40% health.
    Add coaxial dumbfire flak rocket with low projectile speed (80m/s) but very flat trajectory. This rocket should deal precisely 40% of Lib`s total health (So it can be countered by activation of fire suppression in small window of time when flak rocket launched but not yet reached the Lib). On the long range it should deal some damage to both Libs and ESFs but not critical (Especially against the Lib, it is 3vs1 players afterall).
    P.s. Yes, this is basically a reverted nosegun+dalton combo.
  10. LaughingDead


    More survivability when it comes to tank shells? More firepower when a skyguard has better DPS than a ranger?
    Last time I checked, harasser dies to 3 AP shells (without even considering the topgun) from an MBT and 4 from just plain heat from a lightning. Lightnings can take 6 shots in the front from a maggy AP, double the amount of shots a harasser can take while only requiring one gunner/driver. Let's also not forget that it takes 2 to drive and man the gun.


    If you want less DPS and the requirement of 2 people to drive and shoot AND less shots to kill you get exactly what you pay for.
  11. LaughingDead


    Libs take approximately 10 seconds to kill with just a skyguard, ESFs die in 3.8 seconds. If you're saying they need to die in even less time then I don't know what to do for you.

    All you need to do is shoot for 6 seconds and suddenly a lib is at 40% of his HP. However, if he initiated on you first, you should not just be able to turn around and win.
  12. UrielSeptimIV

    This is just a random suggestion. The idea is that with long reload time (Crew of the Lib should be able to mole down the lighting between skyguard can be reloaded) you will need an extra skill check (You need to predict a trajectory of slow dumbfire rocket) to finish a liberator. If there is an only 1 pilot in the Lib, it will be a fair fight (Who make mistake - loose), but with active belly gunner lighting shouldn`t be a problem.
    It would be fun but probably not balanced.
    Anyway, devs do not response to forum suggestions, even the QoL ones...
  13. HomicideJack

    Oh look, how about that. The liberator pilots came and whined.

    Who saw that coming?

    We're not talking about an ambush attack. The skyguard in general has been lackluster for so long that to see one is a rarity. It has nothing to do with tactics, it has everything to do with its sole intended purpose, to destroy aircraft, being ineffective in that regard due to horrifically low damage output, low projectile velocity and poor accuracy. It only excels against ESF's, but struggles to even kill a valkyire exposed in the air. You can't argue against the fact that there isn't any hard counter for ground vehicles or infantry trying to fend off gunships. Don't even mention MAX AA, because that's a joke.

    It needs a buff, has always needed a buff, and that's that.
  14. iller

    /i made atleast 5000 Certs alone just from running a Skyguard and ... no I don't agree, that's a 1 V 2 scenario where the "skill Floor" for us Drivers is frankly really 2-dimensional while the Skill Ceiling for the Pilot is all over the frikken place depending on the Terrain, lighting conditions, and loadouts they're having to run with

    Being able to kill just about every ESF pilot in the game 1v1 is all the Buffs the Skyguard frankly needed IMHO
  15. Corezer

    Only changes the skyguard needs are the detonation range being smaller and the CoF being smaller, so it's a little more skill required but can reach out a little further too.

    as for your problem; why did you start shooting at the same time? even current skyguard can be used against a lib from further away than the belly gun's max damage range, you shouldn't have waited. Also, you can move and shoot while being much more coordinated than a 2 man crew if he tries to move, so use that. You can get some turret stabilization by going into third person, learn how to use that, too.
  16. JDS999

    u forgetting about teamwork when lots of air try to find a friend to skygaurd with and repair sundy with g40 so basicalyy 3 people should prevent up to 3 2 man libs crews from coming in your area or more. but everyone tells me this a lone wolf game so..... I guess what everyone is saying is 1 lonewolf skygaurd shouldn't be able to take out a 3 man lib team. I fine with buffing skygaurd and aa as long as it doesn't explode more then 250 m this will improve more air 2 air battles. butt anywho.
  17. Khaader

    I'm not a Lib player, even aircraft player at all, I am just a main infiltrator that likes ambushes but I can tell you that it is more likely that 2 liberators face to face against 2 skyguards loose against them, if you put terrain and cover in all that equation, 2 liberators can't do almost a **** against 2 skyguards... it's like asking a flash to be able to withstand a Max face to face. The Max has more firepower, more health BUT the Flash can roll over the Max, or if using the infil just taking some distance and using the invisible Flash etc etc... ¿you see? That is the same as the Skyguard against a Lib. In the air you almost have no cover, in the ground, you do have plenty of it... so please, just stop complaining, if a spam of libs against skyguards is about to happen, then the libs have nothing to do against the skyguards making the sky burn.
  18. Smoo

    "The VS is overpowered, look at all their maneuverability!!!1!"
    also
    "The Harasser is underpowered, it can't take shots like a treaded vehicle!!1!"

    And yet, both of these arguments get used.
  19. LaughingDead


    And yet the magrider is bother maneuverable and durable.
  20. LaughingDead


    My skyguard is auraxed and I haven't even auraxed my lib. You what mate?

    The reason skyguards are rare is because there often isn't a reason to pull one unless you are contending mass air, lockons do enough against singleton aircraft. Skyguards are niche in the sense that if you're pulling one just to kill one aircraft you are going to be vulnerable to almost everything else.

    Skyguards can kill several aircraft in:
    Liberators: 10 seconds
    ESF: 3.8 seconds
    Valkryies: 5.3 seconds
    Galaxies: 20 seconds

    Compared to everything else, these are actually pretty good times to kill compared to even main AP turrets. A vanguard takes 3 shots to kill a lib with titan AP each shell taking 3.75 seconds to reload, so in actuality, skyguards actually do about the same amount of damage that MBTs do with AP to them as long as you are hitting the lib.

    Also I can argue that ground locks, since there are far more infantry, are actually effective against libs. 7 rockets kills a lib outright. So all you need is 4 heavies to launch 2 volleys, if you are not communicating with your teammates for help against the lib then you are making a mistake in infantry play.

    I am really tired of people saying non-sense without any data to back it up. If you're saying that the skyguard excels against ESFs, how exactly does it steer off and become garbage tier when it takes about one more second to kill a valk? It sounds like to me you don't have much experience shooting valks.