Game design for dummies: Please stop adding zero interaction weapons to the game

I'm talking about AA, GA, GG and GAGG lockon missiles here. They remove any interaction, any skill, any satisfaction and any entertainment in dealing with vehicles. They're also hard to balance because: if they aren't effective, there's no point in using them, and if they are effective, they remove skill and fun from the game, and make alternatives obsolete, because it takes zero skill.
In our case, they are a LOT more potent than dumbfire alternatives.
This is just plain bad game design. What's next, a launcher that locks onto infantry too?

An example of a weapon done right (mostly) flak. Sure, you need some help hitting aircraft, so you get a very big hitbox to shoot (proximity detonation), but you still need to aim and lead every shot, rewarding good players, and punishing bad players.

Please stay away from fire and forget weapons in the future, as the best way to balance them is to avoid having to deal with balancing it at all. Just create alternative weapons.

Suggestion: tone down all fire and forget weaponry in this game, and create alternative weapons that perform the same role, but are more way potent than lockon weapons when used with skill and experience.
An example for a good anti ground rocket launcher would be a dumbfire missile that travels very fast and does more damage the further it travels (has enough speed to have roughly the same effective range as lockon.)
Or a launcher that has a more damage potential than the lockon launcher, but is 'magnetic' and homes toward your target if it comes within a radius of 15 meters. Takes 2 seconds of flight to 'arm' the magnetism. Has better speed than dumbfire etc.. but does less damage when not 'armed'

Game design is all about balancing power with -relevant- drawbacks.

The drawbacks above are that the missiles will do significantly less damage at close range than a dumbfire, but are superior to dumbfire at range, while still requiring some leading which is affected by skill.

I'm fine with them. Not everyone has the skill needed and this provides a nice alternative. I do fee that dumb fire versions need to be stronger so that those with skill and practice are better but that's about it.

I pretty much agree with this. IRL these exist but this is a game, all aspects should involve player interaction to some degree. With 'fire and forget' the interaction is just getting to a spot to fire from, which is often trivial.

This exists in a number of weapons in PS2, beyond fire-and-forget lock ons. If you had to actually zip by infantry (actual fly) and hit them while firing, instead of what most/all do (hover and fire), it would take quite a bit more skill. I have flown around, I can basically use my aircraft as well armored hovering weapons platforms 80% of the time.

I also agree with that. It isn't a 'bad' element but if they make it more interactive I think it would be better as the OP said.

err, excuse me sir, I think you contr...

nevermind, sorry, my bad!

Problem is tomcats are the BEST way to deal with air (you don't have to chase as long, and kill very quickly, takes only 1 flare waiting time). Crow/annihilator is the BEST way of dealing with tankzerg (only time dumbfire is better is when a tank dun goofs or if you're shooting a stationary sundy. So my outfit uses only those, because they do the job BETTER. All I ask for is a little entertainment while i'm shooting stuff, not pointing at something and then being entitled to sure damage.

When I ply mossie I do it with the AA main gun and A2A lockon rocket because i'm primarily concerned with killing enemy air. Well its the only secondary enemy air weapon we got so I use it.

I would like something like a burster max secondary instead of lockon rockets.

Instead of lockon G2A rockets... see my signature, guide by wire rockets.

There is alot of lock on weapon interaction, and and to the variables and therby the diversety of the game.
both the attacker and target have different rules to how they must react.
this is an argument for why have lock on missiles... not numerical balance issues
i find lock on weapons nice to use in any long range engagment, but is kinda risky when close.

at current metagame, magrider seem to be the one hurt the most of more commen lock on
but they were the ones that had the easiest time against dumbfire, and used to move unrivaled in open terrain.

if anything, the metagame is alot more interesting now as long range vill be less one sided and infantary in cover alot
more dangerus.




dumbfire________________

User:
less usable at range(to the point of usless against aircraft and vehicles in motion)
no lock on time makes for higer dps and also no "vulnerabilety time" and quickly go in and out of hiding or cover
after making the shots.
vehicle profile matters alot as most tanks is easier to hit from the sides or from above.
rear offer most damage althou not as easy to hit(magrider in paticular have easy sides to hit but smaler rear)
best used close range(defence) against the rear and sides.
can be used sniping standstill targets like sunderers.
alot more risk but if an tank suddenly appear you will atleast often get an rocket off.



Target:

try to keep your front towards the attacker and be carful of attackers flanking or ambushing from behind
against long range attackers you can often easely avoid the missiles by changing your positon best horizontal but vertical works
for missils(or bullets) featuring bullet drop.
evry time you change position you also have to ajust your aim. easier after moving horizontal.
magriders have easier time moving horizontal, prowlers vertical, vanguard is best in "lines" and suported by nerby engineers
thou all tanks can feature any role



Lock on___________________________

User:
have vulnerabilety time before each shot(lock on fase) but works well against targets at long range.
is therby risky to use close range, but favored greatly from range or secure hiding place.
works against moving vehicles, as long as it dont move around cover.
you gonna die often while stearing at a red rectangle turning green.
best targets are those in the open but any vehicle that havent detected or cant fire directly at you is possible
try find open sight ranges, any interuption in lock on fase vil reset it and also you are quite vulnerable as you stand still


Target:

tanks::
is announced at the ui, but direction is not revaled thou.
both horizontal but vertical movment have litle effect in it self, but missiles cant move around cover in any way.
so "dodging" or strafing aint vorking unless you can quickly find the attacker or move behind cover.

while getting "locked on" you must make a decision at short time notice:
1. try kill the attacker quick while in "vulnerable time"
2. move around cover(any interuption in direct sight be it a branch or even other soliders do reset the lock on time)
3. move behind cover, as lock on missiles dont go around and also try hit centre of the target
4. dash out of range, the lock on missiles will folloy, but seem to do no damage if you get outside a certain range.
5. be carful not moving to fast forward while getting shot at, it increases the chanses for the rocket to hit the rear.

an important part thou... as dodging cant be done unless cover is nerby, prioritise changing your front against
the attacker, you cant dodge them but you can minimize the damage and you shot against the attacker when
he stands still in the vulnerable lock on time

what i se alot of now from vehicles is that they panic and ither try to dodge the missile as they are used to from tank
and dumbfire, or try to move fast forvard and ither get out of range but also often making what would been a
front or side hit to an side or rear shot.

i also se magrider in paticular attacking large groups of infantary, before triple cs made the lock on missiles more commen
the magriders vas pretty imune to retalation.


Air::

Attacker:
while you can lock on targets from quite far away, you shold try fire at fighters that seem "busy"
it then becomes harder for them to make out manuvre, and if they do you might atleast help the your own air.


Target:
lock on missiles have hard time hitting you if you actualy do any effort to dodge them...
quick turn and boost or flares,
hovering makes for great bombardment... but makes you vulnerable to missiles.
the quicker you move the safer, but harder to go on the offence.

why missiles lose lock and miss air targets standing nearly still even at close ranges...i dunno if it is by
method or buggy missile.

AA missiles do somethimes kill now when they are more commen... but it need serveral ppls effort to get anyone killed.
whats changed more is how air dont bomb sunders from short range or hovering still anymore.

but then again... those situations was where 1 person could easely kill 10 ppl...
even tanks had to take chanses when attacking well populated sunderers.





yes i wrote to much... thired and thinking to much... gnite...

All the infantry lockons actually have a fair amount of interactivity, because using them is pretty dangerous and so is using them from a proper location. The A2A missiles are kinda boring, but oh well.

g2a and g2g launchers take about as much skill as driving a tank or an esf does

Times got killed by lock-on missiles in an ESF: 4
Times got killed by Dalton belly-up Liberator: 34583485