They require the same skill as using a nosegun. Better than the current locks, but not that difficult, especially against armor. It's essentially a high-damage striker mounted to a fast craft that they want to make A2A. Ace pilots are going to have no trouble using these to devastating effect.
Probably had something to do with a video floating around of a keyboard macro that would weave the MD shots in with your regular cannon so that you get huge burst DPS instead of emptying the cannon mag and then switching to the drivers. I honestly don't think they're ever going to hear an end to the whining until they take the fuel pods out of the wing slots. Whether they make them default, or stick them in one of the other cert slots doesn't really matter but they can't stay in with the secondary weapons. The extra DPS of these new ESF weapons will always be seen as cheap and noobish to anybody who sticks with the ABs.
The fact that you guys are making Engagement Radar a slotable item is indicative of one of the most prevalent problems in PS2. It is simply assumed that exactly the same combat information structure that infantry uses is also appropriate for all other types of units. Why is something like spotting and a minimap that indicates enemy fire a standard feature that you don't have to slot for, but the most basic targeting feature that dogfighting games use is a cert? That's just an absurd way of balancing things. It basically deprives people of an entire slot for their vehicle just to get a feature that is absolute baseline standard in flight games since the late 80s. The methods that infantry uses to find enemies are utterly insufficient for aircraft. You shouldn't have to cert up to enhance them to what most games would consider a bare baseline, the methods of finding and tracking targets should simply be appropriate for different unit types.
Im surprised of all the complaints of the (laser) guided missiles. Im curious to see how they turn out to be.
Here's the thing; There is essentially NO WEAPON SYSTEM FEASIBLE that will make things easier for Newbie Pilots without being even better in the hands of Ace Pilots. Anything a Newb Pilot uses, an Ace Pilot will use BETTER. Because the weapons will be available to all pilots.
Sounds promising as long as the balance turns out ok. The thing I'm really missing here is better visual indicators & tools for flying in formation/as a team. Flying in formation is almost impossible in this game, giving it no tactical value, and it is a chore to keep track of your wingman. The game could do a way better job of making flying as a team a more rewarding experience.
LOL REMOVE THE TWO MOST WANTED THINGS THE INCREASED SPEED FROM BURNER TANKS AND THE MASS DRIVERS AND THEN? PUT IN YET ANOTHER LOCK ON WEAPON
Aces do better with anything, thats why they are aces. And no, highly skilled pilots DO NOT generally cert A2AM. They do their killing with Rotary and Pods. The very best use only fuel tanks and nosegun.
And why exactly is that? What does that add to the game, aside from a few more easy targets flying from A to B? Why is a game with any depth or a high skill ceiling a bad thing? They don't use A2AM's out of disdain for the weapon, not because it makes them less effective. It has quite the opposite effect, actually.
Here's what I think each weapon should be, and such. And Most of my reasons for their ability to kill is because its a vehicle with a timer and resource costs and they should always be more effective at killing everything, including infantry, than what infantry currently are to everything else. Yet new players should not Have IWin buttons. (You Nerfed my Noobtube when I use it in mass fights where I got like 20fps, why the heck did new players get theirs which takes even less skill, buffed?) Mass Drivers - I think these weapons should be implemented with a few restrictions on them and here's my idea for them. 1. Retain its ability to When mag fully upgraded One clip the rear of a tank. 2. However. Begin falloff damage at 300m. So that it deals little to none after that range, so you can't necessarily snipe tanks to death outside of lock-ons. 3. Reduce the damage output against all aircraft by 50% or 75%. This weapon would create more havoc than A2AM because of the amount of skill required to utilize said weapon and the fact that Last I saw, it could one clip a lib at range when its mag size was fully upgraded. And whiny noobs would Beg for it to be nerfed because they are even more easily shot down than ever by said weapons. Locust Cannon - I think these weapons should be side mounted weapons that are Excellent for AI strafing runs. (so you know there's a reason to try and strafe infantry other than waste bullets and now hit a single person..) 1. It should have a spray area of about the size of the circle for the A2AM reticule. 2. It should have around 100 rounds in the clip or so. 3. With this weapon You risk your *** being shot to smithereens by Tanks, Infantry small arms, and Missiles and flak because you have to get so close. So this is why I suggest this kind of firepower below. 4. It should if the infantry passes right through the center of the circle kill him by the time your reticule passes him if you start shooting at the right time. Make it so you have to be doing it from 50 to 75m height. If you do it from higher the time to kill infantry would be 1.5 or double. Say from like 100 to 150. After that there really shouldn't be any logic to your gun being able to have that large of a spray and somehow hit with that many bullets unless you spent 8 or more seconds lined up on him. You can determine the rest yourself if you decide to take my idea. Coyote Missiles - We do not need more Lock-ons, they are broken. Permanently. Until you take a month or 2 to write better (less Auto hit every time tracking mechanics) Instead Do this with them. 1. They retain their high fire rate and clip size. And their suggested spiral like launch and hit patterns. But instead of lock-ons they do this. A. They are a close range weapon in which you can utilize to fire a spray pattern of rockets. That reward players who take the risk of getting in close on their target. reducing the number who decide oh I'm just gonna snipe this Lib outside their ability to render me cause I'm lazy and don't care about a fun fight for both sides. 2. Every rocket that hit an ESF would do anywhere between 1/18 or 1/10 their health in damage. (Depending on your choices for the mag size, reload speed, etc. 3. Liberators or gals would Have to be 1/16 or more Because of the much larger area which would allow for a greater chance of hitting the target with each missile. Here's My problems with some of your Currents Suggestions. 1. I think all expert or ace pilots will agree with me that anything that reduces the effectiveness of the afterburner, will be causing more harm than any possible good I can fathom from you doing it. 2. Again something we did not request but sounds like its just me probably on this one, a new subtle nerf to hover dog fighting and the reverse thrust maneuver. 3. It is already extremely important on how we spend our afterburner fuel. I highly doubt you guys realize this, but once its spent when you enter a hover dogfight, if you're fighting a much better player, you've basically lost at that point. Regardless of whether it be skilled or lock-on users.... (I'd love it if Mattiace and rguitar and some of the other top pilots chimed in on this and gave a better viewpoint on it) 4. I think we should still get some increased top speed. Anyone who chooses AB fuel tanks should if properly using their fuel wisely, always have the choice of whether or not they wish to engage anyone who doesn't use them, like say, A2AM users.... Because currently A2AM users automatically Force an unfair, unfun, unskilled fight against anyone. For the fact that they are easily spam-able, cannot be outrun even with racer 3 and full fuel tank, and Deal way too much damage for a weapon that has only one counter, and lets face it, the flares don't really do crap. They buy you five seconds, and if you don't kill them within that time. or at least get half or most of their health. You automatically lose because they can just get another 3 missiles to auto hit you before you can finish them. Side notes: 1. Let's face it, you've nerfed ESF's against ground pretty hard when it came to anyone choosing fuel tanks over lolpods. Which I doubt anyone has really raged over dying to rotaries from an ESF that flew within 150 meters of them to get the kill.. (at least nowhere near as much as they do when they get lolpodded.) 2. I doubt you'll Undo the nerf to our rotaries. Because you rarely undo nerfs. 3. I do not know why you decided to nerf the Mosquito's Mag size.... I don't think any pilots had a problem facing a mossy with their mag size..So if you're going to undo anything, I as a Reaver pilot pleading for the TR, request you give them back their original mag sizes. 3. Your ability to interpret your data models in my opinion is lacking.. Especially when it comes to air. As I doubt you've taken into consideration every other factor that effects their ability to be effective in combat. Which as of now, is every weapon in the game, even more so with Lock-ons and how early on Strikers were mass bought and had the superior ability to deny area access to all aircraft. They may not have killed many, but they just blatantly shielded themselves like bug repellent... (Ironic that their ESF is the Mosquito.)Which in turn, reduced the kill counts of all other factions Aircraft because they couldn't get near. And increased the kill counts of Mosquitos who could engage those targets while over those zones or as they tried to run from them. ---This last statement above however is my opinion and does not necessarily represent what you actually do as I have zero experience or knowledge of how you do it. ______________________________________________ The fact is that after the rotary nerf to infantry and heavy armor, while also buffing their small arms capability, giving them the new Lock-on mechanics (where it lock-on faster or slower depending on distance) Which buffed them considerably at close range where most ESF's had to get to in the first place to even start shooting them, as well as from what I've experienced you buffed the velocity of all lock-on launchers against aircraft and now even with fuel tanks and racer 3; It is not possible to outrun those missiles if fired from within 200m or less. (which then broke our ability to tell whether it was G2A firing on us or A2AM because we knew A2AM always hit, whereas G2A could be outrun) All of these combined has further upset your pilot community, and made even more quit. I won't even begin to start about the gravity changes you made in PU01 because last I have seen and heard you have not posted, tweeted, Streamed, a single word explaining to us or even confirming with us that those changes exist and have severely effected our flight mechanics... This is my most reasonable, not angry, not insulting post I have ever made. I hope you decide to read and consider it.
Excuse me sir but currently your statement is primarily false in the fact that the people who are "arguing against such downgrades to our aircraft" do not use Rocketpods at all. Just their nosegun. Sacrificing their ability to deal more damage to everything else for a weapon that requires a lot of skill to utilize. So please, if you'd be so kind, could you get your facts straight? And the fact of the matter is. Most of the aces quit.... Or don't play very often at all anymore.
No one said anything about lowering the skill ceiling, it's the skill floor that should be lowered. After all, the skill floor is the entry way for people to get into things. Don't you want more people in the air instead of only the elite of the elite?
My facts are quite straight. I mention in a later post that the top pilots only use tanks and nosegun. And yes, there are alot of dogfighting rocketpodders out there. Alot of them. I mention them specifically because they are the ones who generally die to A2AM.
I don't see how lowering the quantity of a precious and already finite resource will do anything to lower the skill floor for those that don't even fully appreciate that resource's value. This only gives the new pilots even less margin for error, and a fully certed external fuel tank pilot an even greater advantage.
I can say with certainty that if Engagement Radar occupies the Utility Slot, it will NOT be used. For the exact same reason that Scout Radar is never used. Flares are mandatory if you do not want to die a quick death, and these changes seem to make them even more mandatory unless significant changes to the lock-on mechanics are made.
Except for you they aren't, Because lets face it how are you, a tank, going to evade their lock? How? I've killed a magrider that was hiding under a bridge with my rotary in 5 clips, by unloading one clip into it, doing a half circle + 180 flip, to the other side and unloading another, repeating the process till he died... Especially if it has a long range...
