- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [AIRCRAFT UTLITY SLOT CHANGES:] • Infantry Radar - Formerly named "Scout Radar". It will now automatically spot all enemy infantry and MAX units within a 50 meters radius of the vehicle. Broadcasting their location to friendlies. Infantry with Stealth capabilities reduce the effective detection range. When a target is spotted, there is no audible announcement. The moment the enemy unit exits the radius, the spot is instantly dropped. • Ground Radar - A new radar. It will now automatically spot all enemy ground vehicles within a 100 meter radius of the vehicle. Broadcasting their location to friendlies. Ground Vehicles with Vehicle Stealth reduces effective detection range. When a target is spotted, there is no audible announcement. The moment the enemy unit exits the radius, the spot is instantly dropped. • Aerial Radar - A new radar. It will now automatically spot all enemy aircraft within a 500 meter radius of the vehicle. Broadcasting their location to friendlies. Aircraft with Vehicle Stealth reduces effective detection range. When a target is spotted, there is no audible announcement. The moment the enemy unit exits the radius, the spot is instantly dropped. [GENERAL AIRCRAFT CHANGES:] • Air Speed Indicator - A small detail, but one that's been grossly overlooked. When a vehicle is traveling forward it is a positive value, and when a vehicle is traveling in reverse it becomes a negative value. For example, 25 KPH is forward and -25 KPH is backwards. A simple detail that's been overlooked for far too long. If instruments exist they should be providing correct information. Thankfully there is no wind to further complicate matters. • Artificial Horizon (Attitude Indicator) - A long-standing issue is finally fixed. A properly designed artificial horizon will indicate a negative attitude while pitched down towards the ground, whereas a positive attitude will be indicated while pitched up. For example, you will have a reading of "-10" while the aircraft is pitched down, or a value of "10" while the aircraft is pitched up. A simple detail that's been erroenously reversed and overlooked for far too long. If instruments exist they should be providing correct information. • Weapon Muzzle Climb Removal - All air vehicle weapons no longer have muzzle climb. If a weapon must have deviation, accuracy will be reduced slighty and accordingly instead. [SPECIFIC AIRCRAFT CHANGES:] • Galaxy - No longer offers Lockon Jamming Field, Nanite Proximity Repair or Vehicle Ammo Dispenser. Check "Lodestar" below for more information. • Liberator - Now has access to more weapons. Check "LIBERATOR WEAPON CHANGES" below for more information. • Lodestar - A logistical support aircraft which has been redesigned for Planetside 2. The Lodestar is a single pilot aircraft, unable to carry passengers and is completely unarmed which will cost 450 Nanites. This Planetside 1 original has finally returned and is taking its rightful place by reclaiming its purpose which was wrongfully taken up by the Galaxy - and then doing so much more. The first matter of business, is the Galaxy aircraft will no longer offer a lock-on jamming field, ammo or repair support - it is a task meant for the Lodestar. This will also help reduce the exploitation of armed Galaxy aircraft flying about in whale pods as they mutually repair eachother. As such, the Lodestar will have significantly increased relevance in the sky and on the ground. This is because the Lodestar will be the first vehicle in Planetside 2 to offer both Ammo and Repair services simultaineously. Additionally, the Lodestar is an incredibly useful asset in the field. When the Lodestar is landed, it will be able to deploy into a stationary vehicle terminal. When deployed, it will be able to produce all available aircraft and ground vehicles in game, with exception to the Javelin, Galaxy and Lodestar. In order to do so, it will work similarly to how the Construction "Light Vehicle Terminal" asset will work by consuming Cortium to create vehicles instead of nanites. The Lodestar will perform all of its vehicle creation duties using Cortium, which will give ANT/Construction enthusiasts a new purpose to undertake. In order to facilitate logistic activities, when the Lodestar is deployed its location will be broadcasted to the entire faction on that continent. This is so ANT, air and ground vehicles will be wholly aware of its location. This will resolve an issue in original Planetside 1 where friendly vehicles were unable to be certain where to find it. Alternatively, even though the Lodestar has no means of collecting Cortium on its own, however it is able to deliver Cortium to silos, or even a Colossus Tank. Meaning that ANT drivers and Lodestar pilots can coordinate a ferry system, where the ANT delivers the Cortium to the Lodestar and the Lodestar can fly it directly to a Cortium silo or a Colossus Tank for direct deposit. For the sake of being practical, the Lodestar should be able to easily hover above a silo and deposit it from a safe distance as not to collide with construction that may pose as an obstruction. The Lodestar has the same health pool and flight characteristics as the Galaxy and has no handling or performance increases. • Passive - Lodestar Advanced Vehicle Station (Just as a Sunderer can deploy for infantry terminals, so can a Lodestar for vehicle terminals.) • Passive - Nanite Proximity Repair (The Lodestar has no passengers or weaponry. It is always a repair vehicle.) • Passive - Vehicle Ammo Dispenser (The Lodestar has no passengers or weaponry. It is always a resupply vehicle.) • Utility - Decoy Flares, Fire Suppression, Infantry Radar, Ground Radar, Aerial Radar • Defense - Bombardment Shield, Deployment Bulwark, Lock-On Jamming Field, Nanite Auto Repair • Logistics - Cortium Recycler Total Cortium - 25,000 Units (Standard ANT Total is 8,000 Units. Cortium Silo is 50,000 Units) The "Deployment Bulwark" works similarly to a Deployment Shield, instead it projects a bubble shield to protect those nearby but it is quickly depleted with sustained fire, but costs no resources. The "Bombardment Shield" works the same as a Colossus Tank, it can remain up for longer periods, however as it withstands damage it will continue to consume Cortium until depleted and must be replenished with Cortium. Lastly, the Lodestar will have special circumstances when it is landed and deployed, as it will no longer be tracked by AA missiles or detonate flak. • Valkyrie - After changes were made to prevent the Valkyrie passengers from repairing the vehicle mid-flight, it was overdue for an added benefit to help offset some of the discouragement. Perhaps to the delight of some pilots, a new feature is being added specifically for the Valkyrie. The Valkyrie will be the first aircraft in Planetside 2 to be granted an "Air Brake" feature, which will allow pilots to promptly come to a halt even from full speed. Just as ESF aircraft are granted afterburners to go faster, a Valkyrie will be granted the ability to rapidly come to a halt and engage in evasive manuvers. It will share the same button as This is meant to further emphasize the Valkyrie's unique low-speed flight characteristics and agility. Additonally, the Valkyrie will now be granted a secondary "weapon" slot, however it will act as a utility slot similar to how ESF's have external fuel tanks. This utility slot will perform the following: • Attack Aircraft Plating - The vulnerable passenger bay is now closed-off with metal panels and the Valkyrie can no longer carry any passengers. In exchange for the reduced utility, the Valkyrie has its hit points increased to 3900 HP, up from 3000 HP. This plants the Valkyrie firmly between an ESF's 3300 HP and a Liberator's 4500 HP. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [LIBERATOR PILOT WEAPON CHANGES:] • CAS30 Tank Buster - Added a unique Armor Piercing Incendiary (API) visual effect, causes a minor shower of sparks upon target impact. Causes no splash damage. • L30R Vektor - Can now be aimed with "freelook", just as it were in the original PS2 Beta. • L-24R Spur - Rate of fire has been increased to 500 RPM, up from 451 RPM. Damage is flat at all ranges, but reduced to 200, down from 225 [LIBERATOR GUNNER WEAPON CHANGES:] AP30 Shredder - Added a unique Armor Piercing Incendiary (API) visual effect, causes a minor shower of sparks upon target impact. Causes no splash damage. • Dual-75 Duster - The Duster's muzzle velocity has now been increased to 150 m/sec, up from 100 m/sec. • AGM-228 Meteor - An alternative to the Dalton, the Meteor Air to Ground Missile is a TV guided missile for anti-armor use. Imagine a situation where the ESF Hornet Missile met the NC Phoenix Missile and the AGM-228 Meteor was born. The AGM-228 Meteor fires 1 TV guided missile at a slow 4 second reload interval, traveling at a relatively slow speed of 125 m/sec for a maximum range of 500 meters and performs 1600 damage upon a direct hit. It has a slightly higher damage potential than the Dalton, but also a slightly longer reload. The missile is designed to reach its maximum range and expire before another missile can be fired. The AGM-228 Meteor is depicted as the AP-30 Shredder with four large Hornet Missiles replacing where the quad chainguns once were, with a textured glass camera window on the front optical warhead of the missles. <SPECIAL NOTE: In an effort to ensure that the weapon is within range, the gunner's reticule will change color when its within range, or alternatively display a color-coded range to the target prior to firing.> • M151 Brimstone AP - M151 Brimstone Anti-Personnel folding fin aerial rocket pod is a new anti-infantry weapon that is designed as an alternative to the Dual-75 Duster. The M151 Brimstone AP is essentially the "big brother" to the Hellfire Rocket Pod. Though, upon experimental testing it was determined to use smaller explosive warheads to offset the amount of psychological impact to the gunner, due to the screaming enemies below. The gunner can fire up to 8 rockets at 300 RPM with a 4 second reload, traveling at 250 m/sec and each rocket performs 100 damage upon direct impact which totals 800 damage with excellent accuracy. Indirect Damage: 200 @ 2m / 50 @ 6m The M151 Brimstone AP is depicted as the AP-30 Shredder with two Hellfire Rocket Pods replacing where the quad chainguns once were. • M247 Brimstone AT - The M247 Brimstone Anti-Tank folding fin aerial rocket pod is a new anti-armor weapon that is snugly placed between the AP-30 Shredder and the L105 Zephyr. The M247 Brimstone AT is essentially the "big brother" to the Hellfire Rocket Pod. This dumbfire rocket pod bridges the long engagement times of the AP-30 shredder, but delivers ordnance faster than the L105 Zephyr allowing for hit-and-run tactics. The gunner can fire up to 8 rockets at 300 RPM with a 4 second reload, traveling at 250 m/sec and each rocket performs 200 damage upon direct impact which totals 1600 damage with excellent accuracy. Indirect Damage: 100 @ 1m / 50 @ 4m The M247 Brimstone AT is depicted as the AP-30 Shredder with two Hellfire Rocket Pods replacing where the quad chainguns once were. • GBU-106 SDB Rack - The GBU-106 Small Diameter Bomb Rack brings the Liberator gunship back to its original roots as a bomber. These bombs have absolutely no propulsion on their own, and momentum is imparted upon them by the speed of the Liberator and the force of gravity upon bomb drop. However, these bombs are intended to have a "glider" effect where they can steer themselves towards the target. That is, if the bombadier maintains a lock on the target and the pilot maintains adequate altitude for it to reach the target - requiring a heightened element of teamwork to achieve. The benefit of the GBU-106 SDB Rack allows Liberators a greater stand-off distance, where as long as the target remains within direct line of sight and has adequate elevation above the target, it should cause effective results. This is similar to how Liberators may use an AP-30 to loiter above a target at higher altitudes, but the GBU-106 is easier to use and should require far less concentration. It should also be noted that the bombs essentially cripple the Liberator's air-to-air capability, forcing it to remain as a bomber aircraft only. The bombadier is able to drop up to 4 bombs in a single pass, at 1 second intervals for a total delivery time of 4 seconds with a reload of 4 seconds. The bombadier must maintain a target lock roughly within the center of the screen to guide the bombs. The bombs free fall towards the target under the combined effect of both Liberator speed and the force of gravity. The GBU-106 SDB Rack has 4 bombs that cause 500 damage each for a total potential of 2000 damage, whereas comparatively the L105 Zephyr performs a total potential of 3000 damage. The GBU-106 SDB is depicted as the AP-30 Shredder, with four placeholder ESF "external fuel tank bomb racks" replacing where the quad chainguns once were. The placeholder "external fuel tank bombs" require an appropriate model with folding glider wings, tail fins and a textured glass camera window on the front optical warhead of the bombs. For an understanding what the appearance of the bombs should look like, simply perform a search with keywords "GBU-39" or "GBU-53". <SPECIAL NOTE: In order to properly use the GBU-106 SDB, players must be able to lock-on to any ground vehicle or turret, regardless if the vehicle is occupied or empty. Alternatively... If the "lock-on" solution is ineffective or impractical, the bombs can be laser-guided similarly to the ESF Hornet Missile or the Valkyrie VLG Missile. Or, if possible, the ability to have two alternative firemodes entirely - an automatic lock-on or manual guidance.>
