A simple effective and tested technique for launching a platoons worth of air resources at the enemy. 1. Get your best libs crewed up, everyone else launches an ESF. 2. Everyone flies around the warpgate/base clockwise until the entire swarm is airborne. 3. Pick a target, preferably an armour column in the open or similar. 4. Attack! Results will vary..... expect 50% or so casualties on the first pass - but the better pilots will have lots more chances to do damage while the enemy AA is diluted. (Give everyone a respawn loc. so they can start killing on the ground). Makes a change from the galaxy drop. And looks impressive (at least until your green pilots start crashing into each other). Platoon leaders, only you can bring back the glory days of the air zerg!
Uhm... I don't think this really needs explanation........ Though there are tips. ESF's should be split between scouts (AB + Radar + Speed), Air Superiority (A2AM, Flare, stealth, Dogfight frame) and ground strike (Rocket pod + hover, flare, composite). Scouts help find targets and identify AA pockets. AA pockets can be easily dealt with by a large number of ESF's who exploit any opportunity that they aren't being targeted to open fire on them and as soon as targeted start boosting away doing barrel rolls and breaking LoS (lock-ons, pro-tip: crossing paths with friendly air can interrupt lock attempts). If you've taken more than 20% damage, land and repair and return to swarming. Dogfighters can still support these attacks but need to be more cautious (and obviously limited to nose gun like the scouts, though the scouts have better survivability). Their main purpose however is to protect first the Libs, and then the ground fighters and scouts from enemy air. Libs should be ALL Daltons (couple shredders aren't a terrible idea) Infantry are easy for all aircraft anyways, and the Dalton will give you the best armor punching power. You only need a few scouts, 6-8 dogfighters, 6-10 A2G fighters, and 3-4 libs if you work together well. You can get by with less... but this is Planetside FFS, only askin for 2 squads here. You can scale up of course. Free players should be Lib gunners, Scouts, or Dogfighters (cheapest secondary weapon)
I run a public platoon so usually only have a few ace pilots and nicely certed libs to go around. I need to keep things a simple as possible, some in my platoon may never have flown before. So the emphasis is on avoiding collisions eg turn left when head on with a friendly and you will miss each other. What would be the simplest way of getting into a formation and avoiding the crashes and collisions on the first pass?
Formation? With Randoms?? You're a braver man that I sir. I fly formation with friends all the time.... we don't need to communicate much other then "on your wing" or "on your six" and once we hit combat we break anyways and only look out for each other getting a tail... but randoms are infamous for making random movements right into your flight path. They need to learn somehow I guess...
Well we don't have too many ATC disasters at the warpgate, so there should be a simple way of getting a rough formation going. ATM I just ask the pilots at the front to slow down until we are in a blob, gain altitude until we reach target then dive and every man for himself.
It is absolutely hilarious. 30 odd flying bricks diving at the ground (ok not all 30 are suicidal). I always enjoy it anyway, and i dont feel as bad a pilot for about 90 seconds.
