So I tried out the Skyguard

The horrible problem with the SG is the drag it has upward. It is very hard to keep it on target, you also have to lead the target more with the SG than the Burster.

I just put a SG up against about 5 mossy and a lib. I didn't win, didn't even kill one even though when I found them they were all hovering around like wasps.

The point I'm bringing to the table is that I did more overall dmg to the lib (bigger target is my first guess) than I did to the ESFs. The Lib was actually damaged enough that it had to go off and repair. The ESFs just kept bumping off then hovering at max distance on the horizon. couldn't hit them for crap.

SG is just a huge glass of disappointment every time I pull one

Iive had plenty of kills in the SG, i don't know what everyone is crying about. when my Reaver is on CD i hop in my SG to continue being AA.

The difference between being able to shoot while moving in a MBT and shooting while moving in a Skyguard is that the SG needs to keep a constant bead on the target. With the MBT, the bumps don't matter to your aim while you're reloading, but for an SG, they'll cost you five to ten hits of damage. Skyguard turrets need better gyros (among other things; may I suggest some resin?) to be effective while moving. Maybe if they brought back the option to stick your throttle at halfway and KEEP IT THERE, it would be better.

Still, though, the fact remains that the SG is simply not cost-effective as AA. As a dedicated anti-air unit, it should be able to take on just about any other air unit and reliably win with sides with approximately equal resource costs; as an example, in just about any size engagement, a team of SGs should be able to reliably beat their own number in ESFs, half their number in Libs, and a third their number or so in Galaxies. Right now, perhaps only the last applies. Back in the beta, there was a time where ESFs went down in about 30 or so SG shots (back when there were 40 shots to a mag), Libs took twice that, and Gals took four mags. I think these ratios were about right; a SG driver who can aim reliably well should be able to kill an ESF in one mag, a Lib in two, and a Gal in four (with maxed-out composite armor allowing the ESF to limp away at low/critical, the Lib to take three mags, and Gal to take at least six). I don't think it would be overpowered at all, especially since ESFs can kill SGs with a single salvo of rockets and Daltons can two-shot Lightnings.

^^^^ this. this is the way it should be. +1

I'm a pilot, I have over 40 hours logged in a mosquito. Hell, screw rockets - an ESF can take out a skyguard with their default cannon with minimal risk. I'd rather face 20 skyguards in my lone mossie than I would 2 burster maxes.

Skyguard sucks.

I am in the camp where I think Skyguard could use some help. A minor change in the cone of fire/rate of fire rather than a damage buff would be helpful to increase the deterrent effect and help them get a bit more kills/assists to reward their efforts. Until anti-air is rewarded for causing damage to aircraft, the only way to reward anti-airs efforts is to try and get them more kills and assists. It is hard on pilots but their gravy train should at least be reduced a bit so all can profit from their time playing the game.

I think a more important change to skyguard would be to provide a viable secondary role. A large rotary cannon firing lots of rounds downrange should have some effect on infantry. I am not suggesting it one shots them left and right, but if your firing at a group of infantry then a couple hits should bring them down or at least get enough damage to get some assists. Given the cone of fire, we shouldn't see people sniping with it, but if you spray at a group of infantry, there should be some effect rather than the current, laughter followed by a swarm of rockets. This way we have some synergy with weapons with HE doing loads of infantry damage and some armor impact, AP rounds hitting vehicles hard with a minor infantry effect, and Skyguard doing good damage to aircraft and respectable damage to infantry.

If the skyguard is less of a one trick pony, then at least they have a role available beyond basic transportation when aircraft are away or repairing from the last anti-air volleys that didn't bring them down for the 34905930435 time.

Things that blow up my mossy:

1. Me: 50%
2. Reavers/Scythes: 35%
3. AA Maxes: 10%
4. Libs: 4%
5. G2A Missiles: 1%
6. Skyguards: 0%

of the last couple of days that i've used the skyguard, i have now gotten about 4 or 5 esf kills, and about 20 or 30 assists. Regardless of how cool it looks when you light up the sky, i hate the fact that if a lib is hovering directly over you at max height, you cannot hit it at all while the lib can continuously try to bomb you while you move inbetween each of the zephyr volleys. I seriously think that the flak does not actually detonate past 600m since stationary galaxys will not take any damage at all at that range even if you dump 6 or 7 mags at it, even if its floating above you so you cant even say i'm missing due to bullet drop.

Skyguard's max range should be bumped up to about 1100 meter so that libs can't just hover over you without even being able to tickle them. Damage is fine imo, cone of fire, bullet speed, and max range needs to be bumped up for sure.

So your telling me you can still hit a liberator zephyring you 500 meters in the air while navigating the terrain of NE/E Indar?

How can an ESF not fire on a target while the target is running? I've been podded by ESF's in Mag's, Sundys, Lightnings, as a Max, while driving my Flash and as Infantry, all of which I have tried to running away with, but you can't, nothing out runs an ESF and nothing out lives rocket pods, so unless you happen to be near convenient cover, and I mean right near it, as only the Sundy gives you more than a couple of seconds before death while being podded, you will be killed. If rocket pods weren't so powerful maybe you would be able to be evasive enough to outlive the bombardment, but they tear through anything and fire super fast, nothing on the ground needs more rockets than the podder can spam out, not even Sundys.

He meant the ESF can't attack while it is running away, which isn't entirely accurate as they can still float backwards a bit - just not nearly as much as they could before the GU1 patch.

If a lone wolfing ESF comes upon a Skyguard, that ESF should be fearing for his life while the Skyguard chases him down. Not doing repeated attack runs and repairing away the mild damage until he gets lucky and kills it.

Never said they could attack when running away so I presume he mis read, perfectly valid point though, on the ground you can always reverse.

As for your point about the Skyguard, I got arrogant once cuz I spotted one shooting at me and tried to hover kill it with my primary (don't have pods because I don't play air much, as well as hating them being used against me so it's be a little two faced if I did), was fine one second and then I got a bit too close (about 50/60m above it) and it tore straight through me in under 2 seconds. However that's the problem, only reason it got me is cuz I suck at flying, if I'd been moving about and not just hover firing it wouldn't have had a chance because he wouldn't be able to hit me, up until it found that magic range and aim point I'd only taken a scratch and the Lightning was down to about half health already (put about 2 mags into it and it wasn't moving so most of the rounds spent were hits).

I like to fly a lot. And I agree the skyguard is a POS. It needs a buff.

What most of you don't realize though is that there was a period in beta when the devs did buff the skyguard. And it was so good, one skyguard could completely kill everything in a two hex radius. Because it was more effective alot of people use them and it snowballed. EVERYONE stopped flying, the skies were completely empty. Which isn't very fun for the SG driver either. So they are just trying to avoid the same situation.

EDIT: also AA maxes are scary. And no you can't really kill them one on one in an ESF.

I have skygurard..what a waste of money... As soon as ANY aircraft see where the flak is coming from...you're dead. Lol, even worse is how bright the tracer is...it's like a freakin' beacon...

PROTIP-PROTIP: Don't spawn a Skyguard at all. For some reason, the devs have decided it's supposed to do less damage than a pistol...and I have actually destroyed a damaged ESF with a pistol before that was hovering low and trying to hunt me down.

Skyguard:
-Close range deadly, on par with AA maxes
-Mid range Ok dmg, sub par to AA maxes
-Long range useless, that liberator will kill you and you can't do a damn thing about it.

What it needs to be effective:
-Increase effective range by 30% or decrease cone of fire by 30-40%, whichever it is that's holding it back at that medium to long range to make it at least on par with an AA max

Skyguard:
-Useless in most, if not all, cases

skygaurd? sorry SOE can I have a refund for that 700 station cash?

After I bought SG I feel deceived. That game needs a CP/SC relocation system.