Just as title says. Make these the attack helicopters that the game lacks. Give the ESF secondaries to the pilot.
ESF aren't at all attack choppers. They're VTOL jets. They have no front rotary gun. They're single manned craft, as well.
Except they perform the exact same role. Call them what you want, but their crew compliment and method of flight doesn't change the fact that they are PS2's version of attack choppers. ESFs embody both attack choppers and fighter jets into one single vehicle, having an "attack chopper" type vehicle would be entirely redundant and pointless as providing that type of CAS is precisely what ESFs do.
I think they should keep the Valkyrie as is but give the bay doors mounted turrets similiar to the ESF's anti-infantry noseguns and cut out the rocket launchers. This would give the gunners a close range defense against ESF's and a support weapon without giving them lock-ons which I think will make them too annoying to fight and it would also give them more ES flair. Also they need to make it significantly more durable and atleast a little faster since these are the things that ultimately matter in the air. You need to be fast enough and durable enough to escape when everybody around starts shooting at you.
I think the valk should have 2 more seats, but why not put a tail gun and/or top gun on it? right now its a floating cert cake for esfs, which can easily get behind the valk and take zero damage in an engagement. it has no chance against any air or ground unit. I think it needs more vertical thrust power, and more weapon hardpoints. frontal gun just isn't enough. it definitely needs an armor buff, especially to esf and lib weapons which tear it up in 1-2 mags of a nose gun. not to mention 1/2 of a tank buster clip. the vehicles defined role is fast attack transport, so it needs defense against its superior counterparts. if this vehicle doesn't get anymore weapon hardpoints, the pilot AT LEAST needs some sort of air to air weapon. -Sulferix
In its current state, the Valkyrie is not a primary attack craft so putting some of the most powerful A2G and A2A weapons on it doesn't make that much sense. The weaponry mounted on the Valkyrie should complement its intended role which, for the time being, is transport and infantry support. In that capacity I think it needs more deterrent weaponry against air (like a rear/top turret with a Drake / Walker) and ground (side mounted AI Mana turrets / Kobalts / Furies) to survive, not pilot gunned ESF secondaries that are primarily of an offensive nature.
