You're linking to the poll results. You probably intended to link to the poll directly? Also, there's a forum rule against polls.
Well.... all I can speak from is personal experience but : I'm not a big fan of the AI turret. It can be pretty epic, but it's massively situational and has hugedownsides. There are very few places you can use it where you won't get instantly sniped off it. When you're in those places, it doesn't do enough damage to let you jump-in-and-shoot whenyou've seen somebody. If you only enter it when you see somebody, chances are they'll be able to tank the damage and just run past you and flank you. Also, even with decent aim, burst-firing for accuracy, going for headshots etc. you can still be headshotted off the turret faster than you can kill the dude shooting you a large amount of the time. And I'm not even talking just about HA's and their skill-shields. I've seen INFILS WITHOUT BATTLE-HARDENED just waltz in, I open fire, then they decloak, then - while standing still tanking my fire and the shake it gives - headshot me off the turret. So since you don't do enough damage quickly enough, you have to sit IN the turret for a chance at getting a kill with it. That makes you free game for headshotters, flankers, OHK shotguns who get around you, LA's, rockets, explosive spam, and on and on and on. I've done some great killwhoring with it... especially on double-stack building stairs and biolab entrances. Sure, I get headshot off it a lot, but there's usually a medic around to pick you up and you can go straight back to it. My best was in a biolab entrance fight - about 60 kills in around 7 minutes before the zerg broke through! Since no turret discussion is complete without discussing the alternatives - the AV turret. I hate it. It doesn't do enough damage to kill vehicles. Fair enough.... but you can't even set it up in places that the vehicles find it hard to shoot. And since the range nerf, you don't even have render distance to protect you any more. It has no protection at all. Since it's meant as an AV turret, you kinda have to use it outside.... where snipers are.... who, since you have no protection, will headshot you off the thing in a heartbeat... and it's not like you have a FaF missile either... you gotta sit there... waiting for the headshot... and you probably won't even get a kill doing it. Best use I found was literally setting it up opportunistically.... for a single shot at an already smoking vehicle. I simply haven't found a use for it other than that, making it even more situational than the AI turret. I have tried using it indoors against infantry and it works pretty well. You still get sniped off it, but it's nasty to MAX's and can one-shot other dudes if you can hit them. Feels cheesy as hell though, so I don't do it often. The poor, mistreated, much maligned Spitfire. I hate it too. It's too big a target, and doesn't have enough durability to be useful. Dies all the time to random explosive spam. It doesn't put out enough damage to be a threat, so everybody still shoots me first, then finishes it off with ease. It might function as an early warning system if the delay on it wasn't so long, but even when it beeps, you don't know where the threat is coming from, so it hasn't told you anything a motion spotter wouldn't have done better, and it takes so long to rotate into firing position that the dude's already arrived, killed you, added your goolies to his space-mantle-piece (cookie if you know where that comes from! ) and blown up the turret for good measure, even before it's started shooting. It's also the only turret that you can't plop down on a timer. Unlike all the others, you have to cert into carrying more of them, and you have to resupply when you run out. Pretty harsh for something that's as useless as it is. Yes, I know I'm being overly harsh to the poor spitfire... but I'm a Planetside 1 Combat Engineer.... I remember what Spitfires used to be like, and this pathetic excuse is just an insult. Finally, even though there are only three turrets, I feel an obligation to speak out on our missing AA turret. We should have one. And G2A shouldn't be useless. So get on those two things, DBG!
You think that's scary here let me blow your mind. Make the turrets that act like the Faction specific AI top guns. NS)The normal turret we have now with the new shield concept. This also could be a default with then other as certable/buyable.(DBG gets another weapon to sell while revamping something that is garbage.) NC) A Mini Canister Turret TR) A Mini-Muarader Turret(less splash damage and range or this would be out of hand) VS) A Mini-PPA turret that is similar to the lasher. The New shield will provide protection to the whole User but it will be destoryable similar to the NC maxes riot shield. This can be upgraded with certs.
I find the AI/AV Mana Turret to be a complete waste of time. You're either going to get instantly head shotted by an or back stabbed by an Infiltrator. The only times that I'll use the AV Mana Turret is when I'm flanking a distracted opponent by setting up high on a hill or other structure where I have some hard cover. As for spitfires, they work great in pairs while defending a room or a Sundy. The only time that I get a lot of spitfire kills is when I place it in a totally unexpected spot where a LA has exhausted their jump pack.
AV turret was very good before the range reduction. Also, stop blaming the game for using poor tactics.
Theres only 2 tricks I know of for using the AI turret that can make it somewhat bearable to use. Never shoot at anyone aiming at you. As others have said and it's generally true you'll get head shot off the thing in a heart beat. If you're looking at the enemy through the shield portion of the turret he can't hit you, so just turn your view 10-15' and they can't shoot you. 2nd never ever use the turret outside. Set it up for cover or whatever but don't mount it. You'll just get picked off by any semi decent shot and snipers wait for heads to pop up on a turret. I don't use the thing much. It's more free certs for your enemy than anything with tactical value. Best use I've found is to set it up outside a door frame at a 30'angle where you know enemies are plentiful and you've got friendlies behind you, then jump into it and open up laying down lots of covering fire. Whenever someone tries to take aim at you turn your turret away from them and focus on someone else. It's very very hard to hit you behind the turret shield if you're not pointed straight at them. Just keep firing and laying down covering fire. Hopefully the friendlies will move in around you taking the focus off your head and you can bring the pain. What the turret really needs IMO is a crouch. Make it so you can't fire while crouching but you don't have to dismount. That might make them a bit more than free certs for head hunters.
Useful for makeshift cover I find. I use them fairly often if one is out for some cover for quick snipe or to get out of the way of an impending death. I'm usually instantly killed if I actually use it. I use the AV turret but never ever stay on it. Go in, fire one shot then get the hell out, go in fire another and get out again. If you dont, you're tank or sniper bait. On my infil, anyone on a turret in the open is a free kill. Best fun I have is Max baiting using my Archer They are all "hell yeah, eat this till they get an archer to the face then they run like babies
The turret does well only if placed VERY smartly. Which usually means: Indoor to prevent sniping. With you back to the walls to prevent flanking. Behind a corner to surprise your enemy. And btw it's a good idea to relocate the turret frequently. It all makes the AI Mana very situational and I would definitely call it a tool for expert players. Those who just drop it in the middle of nowhere expecting to get kills just do it wrong. Noobs move along, you'll die over and over again.
I would just like to see the shields changed to cover the body fully. The turret leaves you super vulnerable to being killed. Even from the front where its supposed to protect you. The easy fix in my opinion would be to make the shield cover the head, but make the shield sustain damage and be able to be destroyed independently of the turrets structure. Something akin to the Covenant Turret in Halo 2. The turret totally covers the operator from the front, but the shield can be destroyed by sustained small arms fire. And heavy weapons can damage/destroy the hard structure, but the main structure of the turret is resistant to most smaller weapons. The shield was totally destroyed by the Plasma Pistol, as is traditional in Halo. But, if the operator survives, the shield CAN recharge back to full HP if left unmolested. A change like this would make the turret WAY more useful without making it overpowered.
