Since launch, the Phoenix has (and continues to) function by spawning in a missile that the game engine treats like a vehicle (the missiles are literally vehicles. Kamikaze vehicles, but vehicles nonetheless). But as of the April 2015 air mechanic changes, the Phoenix has been ruined for it's most experienced and competitive users (such as myself). The reason: The Phoenix missiles used to be considered "aircraft" by the engine, and were controlled via the Aircraft key bindings. In those keybindings, there is an option called "Throttle [Analog]". That keybinding was absolutely vital to the missile's use in many situations. The Trottle control was so important to using the Phoenix to it's full potential that it's generally considered (by the relatively small number of the highest skilled Phoenix enthusiasts in the Planetside 2 community) to be the weapon's equivalent to hovermode for ESF's. This binding let a player slowly decelerate the missile down from it's max speed of 42 m/s to it's minimum speed of about 7.5 m/s. Now, the missile has almost exactly a 7.5 maximum flight time before it despawns (which appears as if the missile detonates midair). So when you slowed it down via the throttle, you were severely limiting the missile's potential range. However, in exchange you got to travel slower, which allowed the missile to maneuver through tight turns and angles or around obstacles that it could not handle at it's max speed. There in lies the issue. As of the April 2015 air mechanic changes, the Phoenix no longer uses air vehicle controls like it has since launch. It now uses ground vehicle controls. And ground vehicle keybindings do not have an equivalent to the throttle in the aircraft keybindings. The closest they have is the "handbrake" keybinding, which at most decreases the missile speed by about 2-5 m/s (depending on when you hit it in the missile's flight timeline) for about 0.5 seconds*. After that one use of decreased speed, the missile begins to accelerate back to full speed again. Spamming the handbrake does not seem to yield much of a result (you might squeeze a slightly larger deceleration, but then it again accelerates back to top speed. Regardless, the handbrake does not allow for a significant enough change to allow the missile to be used any more effectively than it would be without it. This utterly destroyed the Phoenix' meta game, and reduced it's skill cap to practically nonexistent. It is no longer even half the weapon it was in the hands of an experienced player, and desperately needs to be fixed. To those who've never used the NC's ESRL much, or those on TR/VS who don't fully understand this, it's as if our faction has virtually lost an entire vehicle from our arsenal. Imagine your ESF now could not go any slower than it's max speed. EVER. You're going about +215 KPH with no capability to slow it down to stop and land, hover, and you can no longer slow to turn in a tighter circle. That's the kind of damage this change has caused to the meta game for the Phoenix! This weapon is literally a vehicle in it's own right. One that very few know the nuances of, and fewer still have mastered them. Now, not only has all that gone out the window for those who did know it, but it's no longer a skillful tool. What made it great has been dealt a crippling blow. This slight to it's use is horrible, and what's worse is that no one (outside the exceptionally few and immensely dedicated users) seems to care. PLEASE! Spread the word and help fix this oversight. I highly doubt the devs realized how entirely this change would destroy this weapon (especially considering that there are -to my knowledge- only a few dozen players that even knew about this. But nevertheless, the damage caused to the Phoenix' skilled use is monumental! Cross posted on the Sub-Reddit here.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Please note: While the change in flight mechanic has undeniably removed it's ability to use the aircraft control throttle and any semblance of it's versatility, I only have my many days of flight time to draw on how the weapon feels as if it's handling now after the changes. I can't actually seem to pin down the exact flight changes imposed by the ground keybinding of the handbrake, I only have what it feels like when used. I know it does impact it by a barely registrable level, so these numbers are just my very rough estimate. It does however influence the flight ever so slightly. Sorry I can't be more accurate on that front. If anyone has the know-how or ability to get exact numbers on this, please tell me!
I haven't had the chance to use the Phoenix yet, but I know how important analog throttle is for air braking an ESF. If what you say is true, then yeah DBG just killed the Phoenix. Hopefully it rises again from its ashes like its namesake.
With nearly 9.5 days of solid play time experience on the weapon, 3,650 kills (not counting vehicle kills), two auraxiumed reskins, and a passion for the weapon(s) so strong that I keep the image of both the NC15 and AE in my signature... I can say I am quite certain that this is true. (Detailed source on my player stats.)
NOTICE!The issue was ninja patched some time between the 22nd and 24th of April, however it may not function for you until you rebind your throttle key!(Though the missile's handling, like all vehicles, remains less responsive than prior to the air physics change.)Sorry about that, total f*ck up on my part!
