If anything the skyguard still needs improving, the turret lag ruins it especially. The MAX is fine, it has limited ammo and can't do anything against a couple of infantry. Aircraft are for hit and run, not hovering around owning everything that moves. Like it was when AA was broken.
We are not talking MAX vs infantry neither flares. The point is that MAX AA weapons have high accuracy over a long range and same damage per shot of skyguard, that is less accurate. I often use ESF and i can say that, for me, the main enemies are maxx cause they spot you the same time you spot them (but they are there with AA weapon just waiting for YOU and noone else), at distance they start firing and at that point i can just play around with altitude and some zigzag fly to avoid being hit but this means totally useless gameplay. And also when you move out of combat zone u have to fly like a drunk cause max projectiles seems to last more than render distance. If i want to attack a max i have to switch with rockets and aim the maxx, but rockets have crappy 1,5m radius and less than half of rocket hit the target directly, usually about 20 rockets are needed from medium distance, but in the time you fire them a good MAX kill you or just someone go repairing the MAX so is totally useless. And as i said before, the maxes that hide behind spawn barrier are the most as*****s. Skyguard is fresh water compared, cause a tank is large and rockets are able to hit with much higher ratio from the same distance, and ofc from back side, i kill a lighting with less than 12 rockets (a clip). AA turrets are no better, cause they sucks too in accuracy and they also have heat debuff. Im not a pro, but im not so low to not recognize an op class/weapon combination.
Not the most eloquently put, but 100% accurate. I have no problem with AA MAXes nuking my ESF up close, it's the fact they can harrass you over multiple hexes that makes them the best air superiority item available. I just don't think pulling an AA MAX should be the cheapest resource wise and spawn timer wise, be able to reequip (for free) to dedicated AI and AV on the fly, all while also being the best item to pull to control airspace. AA MAX damage is good, they should nuke ESFs in CQ range (from an air combat perspective), they should be for close infantry support. I just don't think they should be a credible threat to kill and dominate airspace 800meters from where they stand.
Then you'll be happy to know that they don't. ESF's can render to me at a range where I simply cannot hit them even though all my flak is on target. Same with Liberators. Unlike most other assets in the game, just because you're rendering to me in game doesn't mean I can hit you. Since the last couple of patches, AA MAX range has fallen and the ESF render range has also fallen. To put it into a perspective that most people would be able to measure, I used to be able to hit things well beyond TI Alloys and Ceres from the Crown - now they don't even render that far let alone be able to hit them.
The AA Max and the Skyguard are certainly very different in terms of performance. Both are highly effective against hovering/slow aircraft and work as an excellent deterrent, however the area the AA Max excels at over the skyguard is in terms of survivability (is capable of firing from cover) and in terms of tracking - whatever the recent changes to the skyguard has been, it seems incredibly difficult to track any moving aircraft whatsoever now, and seems to only do damage on direct hits (As if air-burst has been disabled, unlike the Max). The skyguard is also a very easy kill for a sneaky, opportunistic ESF - it leaves you open to attack if they see you too early but if you can creep into their bottom they die incredibly quickly, and they can't track you if you just afterburn over their heads and evade. Skyguard with this problem is useless outside of mobility (which a Max can fix by sticking with a sunderer), but it is preferable to the beta skyguard AKA destroyer of worlds.
It is difficult to judge whether AA is under powered due to how little of it is fielded in most fights. I got so annoyed at the constant swarm of mossies that I bought the dual burster. I often find myself the only person playing as AA in my outfit and as a result the best I can manage is: Scare off good pilots. Die to even better pilots who can zig and zag well enough to dodge my shots, while podding me to death. Kill the idiots who hover or fly on slow attack runs. In order to do this I need a dedicated engineer or to camp the spawn room, which generally has a terrible view of the sky.
It seems like the NC fighters can take a LOT more flak that the TR planes. Maybe that's why some think it's fine and some think it's OP.
I think the lag is meant to be there since it's a big turret. Being accurate with the Skyguard is more difficult than the max. Incline will put off the aiming.
Why? oh wait... signature... its not a secret anyway that lately the majority of MAX are AA spec, the reason is obvious. Maybe soe is waiting to sell more bursters before nerf them xD
The burster MAX is excellent at area denial, and one full salvo from a dual burster MAX will do enough damage to get the 'Air damage' xp bonus. They probably need to render more reliably for airplanes, though, so you can shoot back. The Skyguard on the other hand, is absolutely useless and a complete waste of certs. You need two full magazines to do the same damage as one MAX salvo, if you can hit anything with it, which you usually can't. No ESF worries about Skyguards, which SHOULD be able to scare them off at least. The MAX is working as intended, the Skyguard isn't.
The burster MAX is excellent at area denial, and one full salvo from a dual burster MAX will do enough damage to get the 'Air damage' xp bonus. They probably need to render more reliably for airplanes, though, so you can shoot back. The Skyguard on the other hand, is absolutely useless and a complete waste of certs. You need two full magazines to do the same damage as one MAX salvo, if you can hit anything with it, which you usually can't. No ESF worries about Skyguards, which SHOULD be able to scare them off at least. The MAX is working as intended, the Skyguard isn't.
Have you tried it lately? I was at the west Zurvan outpost yesterday and popped just in time to see an insane air zerg over the base so I thought what the frak I'll grab a Skyguard. In 2 minutes I took out 4 ESF, 2 Liberators, and damaged and chased away at least 4 other planes. 1 salvo from a Skyguard kills an ESF; 2 salvos kills a Liberator (and 2 salvo's don't take that long as rate of fire and reload speed are both pretty fast). Wish I'd recorded the carnage. Unfortunately at that point the other 25 planes in the air noticed me and I quickly got obliterated since I was the only AA there. Admittedly it was a Zerg - most of the planes were too busy hovering over the spawns to notice me at first, and from the outpost to the base is relatively close range, but still I whooped some behind.
Consider this. Some of the highest ranking players in the game have 10-20 THOUSAND kills each with ESF and Liberators. Now, take a look at how many people in the top 100 have over even 1000 kills with Burster MAXes. There is your answer.
I think that the AA MAX isnt necessarily OP, it is simply out of whack balancewise with the Skyguard. The AA turrets at bases should be the ultimate deterrent to air, while SG should be long range carnage, but not be as effective at close range. THe AA MAX should be Short range carnage, and no long range effectiveness as they are now. In regards to turrets, has anyone else noticed that most AA turrets in large battles, occupied or not, are destroyed by air units? Interesting. Interesting indeed. Thoughts?
They should make it so a MAX with any AA attachments renders further out... maybe get super fancy and only have it render on screen of pilots. It should be equal distance; neither the aircraft nor AA MAX should show up before the other. Give them both the chance to see each other and react.
AA turrets need a resistance buff to air weapons or better positioning/cover. Having them on top of a tower out in the open is kind of silly. Have all turrets pull into the tower when not in use and protect them from damage or give them rudimentary AI so that they can't be free killed if empty.
I hate AA maxes. But I am supposed to as a pilot. Tanks hate me. It is the great circle of life in a combined arms game. Without that brutal AA we pilots would have run of the place (which people already seem to think we do - though those people have never really tried being a pilot). I think AA is fine, though the maxes and skyguards do need some balancing between the two.
