Being a pilot so far is a dissappointment. What am I missing?

[malice]

I decided to make a reaver pilot and i love flying around but it seams like being a pilot is a real pain in the ass. Im not sure what im doing wrong cause it can't be this much of a chore to be a pilot or nobody would do it. Heres a typical scenario. I have to either fly to my continent or use a HART to get to a dropship base? Is it me or is the dropship base the only base on a continent where i can get a reaver? This seems ridiculous to me. I get my reaver and fly to where i want to go. Within 2 minutes im shot down. There doesnt seem to be any way to avoid an AA max from shooting me down. Sure i have the afterburner but it doesn't prevent me from getting hit. So i have to get another reaver now. This means I have to walk halfway across the continent to get to the damn dropstation because i can't just respawn there. Ive tried going to the spawn tube at the dropship base and saving there but I can never seem to respawn there for some reason. So I spend about 3 minutes flying and the rest of the time im walking back to get another reaver. Can some of you reaver pilots tell me what im doing wrong?

[JLeeAZN]

You can get a Reaver at ANY BASE!! The dropship center just has an extra place for the big mamas - the GALAXY"S! But no, you can get a Reaver at any base that is urs or a hacked term - whatever

[malice]

O.K Im gonna have to get some maps or something. I looked in other bases and could not find them. Thanks. This will help alot.

[The Eternal]

Thats not entirely true, you still have to have a techplant on the latice to spawn reavers at any base

[Agathon]

Hello,

Yep, you should be able to get one anywhere. Just go to the vehicle terminal if there is no air terminal. Maybe you were just looking for air terminals.

8-)

[Kikinchikin]

yup u canget them anywhere, but one problem i have is that u cant always get a reaver at a hacked terminal... its so inconsistent, its really odd.

[1024]

You must own a techplanet in the lattice to be able to fly reavers. Oh and to avoid MAX AA fire, you have to hit the afterburners and fly low, possibly through multiple solid things, like trees, whihc the missles following you will hit.

[SumYungGui]

I dislike piloting because of the piss-poor system they try to pass of as flight characteristics. waste of code if you ask me...tribes 2 did the flying boat thing, it sucked there, it sucks even more here. I shall always lament the lack of a BF1942 flight model.

[lloyddot5]

i flew the gal 4 a bit and i found that the most imortant thing is not to move fast in one direction but to move about. The best way of avoiding a lock tho is to get somthing between you and the enemy (flying between trees and arches at full speed is always good). If all else fails or you cant be bothered, just afterburn as long and as fast as you can, it can get you out of their range before they have time to afterburn and catch up.

Another tactic is to harm yourself by flying into the ground (not directly)and not pulling up until AFTER the last second. Sure you'll get some damage but they probably wont follow you.

1 more tactic for gal fliers, RAMMING SPEED!!! (you can take more damage than they can. :hitit: <them that is

Also, there is a matrix panel at the gal spawn term(on the opposite side to the window) worked for me evry time. Try again and make sure you get a message appear saying that u have matrixed.

Gd Luck Gd Flyin'

[Navaron]

Originally posted by SumYungGui
I dislike piloting because of the piss-poor system they try to pass of as flight characteristics. waste of code if you ask me...tribes 2 did the flying boat thing, it sucked there, it sucks even more here. I shall always lament the lack of a BF1942 flight model.


HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA I used that exact analogy to sting DG about this bullshit flight model. This game would be so much better if they'd use a bf1942 model.

[AcidCat]

Yes, it would be so much better if futuristic aircraft flew like WWII era planes. Er, ok.

Anyway, flying is pretty much my favorite thing to do in the game. I'd say having Engineering is really required if you're going to enjoy flying, because being able to land and repair is crucial to surviving.

And you've got to expect missile locks anytime you fly over a large battle, you've got to hit and run in those situations. Just afterburn out and try to get something between you and the following missiles - hills, trees, whatever.

[Airlift]

It has been said that whether or not you can buy a reaver is dependent on a tech plant, but some details seem to be missing. My understanding is that it doesn't matter that you have a tech plant on the continent, but rather that the current base has an unbroken connection to a friendly tech plant. When dealing with a hacked vehicle pad, that base must connect to a tech plant that the same enemy owns. If a base is neutral and not a tech plant itself, I think you are screwed for getting reavers until the cap.

As far as the flight model, I started out not liking it but changed my stripes when I figured out why I didn't like it. My first expectation was for a fixed wing flight game, which the aircraft in ps are not, at all. I think it does an admirable job as a Helicopter game tho.

[BUGGER]

Originally posted by lloyddot5
Also, there is a matrix panel at the gal spawn term(on the opposite side to the window) worked for me evry time. Try again and make sure you get a message appear saying that u have matrixed. A thing to add the matrix panels, u can only matrix ur self to 1 base, so choose a thecno plant or dropship centr for matrixing, or some base that cant get haxed within 4 minutes.

and if ya wana loose anything, go to an amp base (i think) and fly nder the overpasses, mainly that big battery thing, its such a tight space they, or the missle will have to hit the ground or fly back. then u could use after burns and burs a shitload of stuff right at them.


o u kno wat i think there should be, deflector shields on vehicles. kinda of like t2, but more like something from StarWars and Tachyon: the fringe (if any of u played it). like 2 separate shields, a front and rear deflector shield. if the front shield goes down, any direct hit from the front will give u damage. and u could put all the power into 1 shield like if u where gona run strait towards a shitload of skygaurds u put the shields on full in the front and shoot the shit outa the skygaurds untill ur shield is gone or just wen u freak out. and the shields repair over time using energy from the afterburns or u loose alittlespeed. and u could choose how fast u want the shields to heal (2x, 3x, 4x) but the faster the healig, the more ur speed decreases. but then once ur shields are up, u return to ur normal speed and ur afterburns replenish themselvs.

i duno, i was watching starwars earlyr and thought of this wen han solo flys the falcon right towards the stardestroyer (emipre strikes back), it was fun....

[Hamma]

You are supossed to own a tech plant or something for a reaver. But to be honest I think the whole thing is b0rked, its very sparatic how it works right now..


As far as piloting I love it. Its really the only thing I do in PS. Engineering is really needed if you want to have fun imo, and learning the art of evading and picking your battles. You cant go up against just anyone.. and be prepared to run like hell.

[ObnoxiousFrog]

Anyways...
To be an effective Reaver pilot, you can't be an individual. If you're in a good squad (probably of mostly grunts), you can fit into a sort of symbiosis with them. You hit the big targets and chase off air units, they do the actual EXP-gaining part. Also, try to avoid dogfights consisting of more than 1 Reaver. A Skeeter will scrap you fast, and anything with a 12mm chaingun should be engaged from reletive distance/height (so that you don't find yourself owned by a Harasser). Other than that, just take any other jobs your squad asks of you.

[Arakiel]

Engineering is, IMO, a waste for the most part if you're just fixing your reaver. Unless you can't keep that reaver alive for five minutes (at which point you shouldn't be worrying about certing engineering, you should be worrying about uncerting reaver) it's infinitely more efficent to just grab a new reaver. Fresh ammo, fresh fuselage.

[AcidCat]

Originally posted by Arakiel
it's infinitely more efficent to just grab a new reaver..

While sometimes this is certainly true, I think there are enough times where it is much more convenient to just land and quickly repair.

Besides, I think for many dedicated Reaver pilots, it's a matter of pride in keeping your Reaver going for as long as possible. I know I've run back and forth at a tower refilling ammo at times when it would have probably been faster to just get a new one.

[Protst Patrotsm]

That's good, cause the more people that get sentimental about their reavers, the more time I don't have to put up with them, and the more fun it is to pwn their asses with a skeeter

[AcidCat]

I find it rare that a Mosquito will stand and fight with me. Usually once I start shooting back they run away.:D

[SumYungGui]

hopefully vehicle rearm/repair pads will change that Arakiel. I'm just kind of amazed that it took all of beta and more than a month of retail to think up and implement the idea. I saw how assanine the whole process was five minutes into being a reaver pilot, and I hate reavers. the first time I went to reload my reaver's trunk I said 'this is gonna take forever, where as I could just blow the thing up and get a new one. why haven't they done something about this?'

[Protst Patrotsm]

Any skeet pilot that approaches a reaver head-on is dum. I go reaver hunting a lot and i average 2.5 reavers per death, and my record is 6. It's just a matter of maneuverablity, and lotsa practice.

[Airlift]

Why approach reloading ass-backwards in the first place? If you load the vehicle ammo into your inventory before you spawn your vehicle, it doesn't take but a few seconds to land, repair, and refill. Furthermore, you can always land inside an AMS bubble if you run completely out of ammo and/or repair stuffs. That doesn't take forever.

[SumYungGui]

that's actually what I used to do. interesting thing about ammo on your avatar is that it runs out. it still takes two trips to fully load the reaver and it's magazines, another trip to reload my inventory, and some time screwing around to repair any damage taken. landing at an AMS, while definitely shortening the process, is not always available without an in-flight-movie length haul across the entire continent. it was, and still is, much faster to ditch the reaver and start anew even if you landed somewhere like right outside the main entrance of a medical facility. that's just stupid.

plus this sytem doesn't take into account my desire for a custom inventory for the vehicles. what if I don't want two boxes of main gun mag rider ammo at all, or I only want one extra box of reaver chain gun ammo in addition to the ammo in-chamber? I have to get out, ditch the ammo I don't want, run to a terminal, get the ammo I do want, run back, load it up, go to the terminal again, get the ammo I want in my inventory, THEN hop in my vehicle.

[AcidCat]

Originally posted by SumYungGui
that's actually what I used to do. interesting thing about ammo on your avatar is that it runs out. .

Yep, I carry 2 boxes of rockets and 1 box of cannon ammo on my pilot configuration, and I always go through that quickly.

[Hertston]

I'm surprised anyone bothers.. in an otherwise excellent game the "flying" is just one huge let down, for me anyway. The non looping, non rolling "planes" just remind me of some early 80`s C64 game (yes, I do go back that far :eek: ).

I wasn't expecting a flight sim, but at least some effort at flight specific physics would have been nice. At the moment it's just, well.. crap.

[Kikinchikin]

ive said it b4, and i got flamed. I hated the Bf1942 flight model. Maybe i just didnt give it enough time, but think about it guys. Let's say u have 3 minutes till the enemy finishes a hack on a base. U know this cuz ur squad mate just died trying to rehack it. so ur afterburning into the base, but u realize u gotta land on a run way of some sort, which i have no idea where they would put it, since bases are too small. well newayz u would be able to land it on the spot and it would eat time up waiting for it to stop rolling. so i stand by my opinion, reaver is fine, it already got screwed up enough with the automation of the DAMN PHALANX TURRET SHITS. now u cant even fly into an unhacked base without losing at least 1/3 of ur health. but thats not wut we're talking about, so im done

[SumYungGui]

of course a total, straight up conversion of BF192's flight physics would suck. it's a given that the flight dynamics would have to be altered to suit the situation. in battle field they're fixed wing prop driven airplanes using air speed and air pressure to stay aloft. planetside has Vertical Take Off and Landing turbine driven air craft which conveniently enough to not need runways because they take off and land much like the reavers do in this game. however, a harrier VTOL craft can still do rolls and bank and must be concerned with 'flight energy management' if they engage in a dog fight, they are not flying boats a la Tribes 2's shrikes. the technology exists, the utilization was possible, someome just thought the floating turret approach was better and it sucks ass. ALOT of ass.

[BlakkyZ8]

I fly a Skeet and wow I pwn Reavers. At first I sucked cause I used the Skeeter like a jet, hitting my target and afterburning away. This gave the reaver ebough time to line up straight shots with its more powerful 20mm cannons. The idea is to stick to the enemy as tightly as possible. It is so exhilirating strafing around, practicly landed on the topside of the Reaver blasting away at it. All the while the pilot often doesn't even get a look at me... even though some fights last like a whole minute, at such close quarters. I prolly have 3:1 Reaver kill/Mosquito death ratio.

[Slice]

I won't like those for one reason: I love jacking enemy Reavers! It's SO much fun to go to a tower and see a Reaver parked outside/on the landing pad, jacking it, deconstructing it, and waiting for the dude to come out, look for his reaver, while you're unloading rounds into his ass. Whenever I'm bored, I Reaver-Camp towers and bases, it brings some fun into the game. Except when they have backup...:( And now this will all end due to the auto reload-repair stations... *sigh*



Oh, and don't call me a fuckin n00b cause of my stats, just because I don't get to play much doesn't mean I'm a n00b like some people ;)

[MilitantB0B]

I wonder if you can put boomers on the rearm/repair pads.
/em ponders.

[Hamma]

Its quite a bit of work reloading a reaver.. I have a configuration setup for it. But I dont do it often.

Cant wait for the repair/rearm pads

[fallson]

i started with the mosq with my second character just to see what it was like to fly and imo are the greatest plane, the reaver... which has awesome firepower, but i feel it was meant as a antivehicle plane.
reaver against people on the ground its worthless, against vechs it destroys. well they have the rockets, but that just insanity to try and hit people with them.


-Protst=Patrotsm:
'Any skeet pilot that approaches a reaver head-on is dum'

i do sometimes, only with enough afterburner you get by clean, and get up way higher with enough time to circle back and get on on top of him :-D....



IMO, the mosq handles extremely silimlar to being on foot but insanely fast, with less strafe. The reaver seems to fly like a brick. i can only imagine what a gal is like. but gal pilots are the own.

i wish the mosq could do a roll also, seems unfit for how well it can handle.

but, engineering is a must if ya wanna have fun with your plane, adv hack doesnt hurt either, so you can get a plane anywhere.


-wubbadeubba
emerald

[Mazzic]

The only thing I dislike about the aircraft in the game is the landing. I so love it, when you land on the ground and start sliding down a gentle incline and wrap your Reaver around a tree.

Aside from that, I love piloting. The freedom and fun associated with it. The Repair/Re-arm Plats should make it even better. Flying does take a bit to get used to. Good practice is flying thru a base weaving over and under the bridges, heh heh.

It should go without saying that if you fly over a base under attack, that the ground troops are going to take pot shots at you.
Keep Moving - Do strafing Runs Only - Use the Terrain.