Gunships: Galaxy vs Liberator

[Red Beard]

I was wondering if anyone had heard if the devs have said anything about how they plan on avoiding overlap between the two?

I know that you have to cert your Gal over in the direction of gunship to have the overlap, but it would be nice to know how they saw those roles relative to each other (ie...Is one going to be more costly than the other for more firepower, vs evenly matched, etc).

[Razicator]

Yeah actually I was confused. I thought the Liberator was the new gunship, and now we learn the Galaxy Gunship will be back too? So.... what's the difference? Both are slow, flying birds of death :\

[Zulthus]

Gal Gunship will most likely be a futuristic AC-130. Liberator is more of an A-10.

[Timealude]

im sure its not official, but from what higby was suggesting...maybe it will have a trade off in armor for more fire power and that could give an advantage to using a liberator is it might have better defense when using a gunship style main gun rather then speccing a galaxy for it....but thats just my 2 cents

[Graywolves]

Kind of like how you decide wether you want to use a Raider or a Deliverer. If you got the peeps to man the guns you take the Galaxy, if not, the Liberator.

[Xaine]

If its anything like it was in PS1, they will be apples and oranges.

In PS1 the GG was more like a flying fortress with guns on it. The Lib was far squishier, and used for a more 'hit and run' type of style.

[Red Beard]

Kind of like how you decide wether you want to use a Raider or a Deliverer. If you got the peeps to man the guns you take the Galaxy, if not, the Liberator.

Good point...the Liberator seated 3 gunners if I remember correctly...the Gal was 4, correct?

[Timealude]

Good point...the Liberator seated 3 if I remember correctly...the Gal was 4, correct?

5 + pilot i think its been awhile since i played :P

[kertvon]

It will likely come down to the potential weapon variants of the GG. It appears the liberator will be focused around the main cannon which boasts heavy firepower with all other weapons being utilized to support the main cannon; while the GG would be less firepower per weapon, but would maximize on efficiency of the combined weapons when all weapon positions are fully manned.

I think:

Liberator = heavy power per weapon, less required manpower, less coverage per weapon

Galaxy Gunship = less power per weapon, more required manpower, more coverage per weapon

Hopefully this is all clarified come E3.

[Zekeen]

More than likely the liberator will be a heavier hitter. There is also the case that the liberator is more of a vertical threat, while the Galaxy is more of a horizontal threat. while the liberator will crush anything under it, the Galaxy has always been made to take out enemies when it lands to protect troops that are loading in.

[kunzadar]

I would predict that the liberator will be more of a dedicated anti-ground vehicle platform, as it has a large cannon type gun, while the galaxy gunship will be better suited to taking out multiple light targets.

[Vetto]

I hope the GG is a bit easier to take down this time around, they could be a royal pain back in PS1.

[Zekeen]

I hope the GG is a bit easier to take down this time around, they could be a royal pain back in PS1.

I want it to not have a mortar option, and instead just have those awesome looking gatling gun setups. I prefer a balanced weapon over an overpowered anti ground mortar (that's the liberators role anyways!)

[Red Beard]

Yeah I'm contemplating at the moment different squadron configurations, and wondering if the GG and Lib would ever be used together...I could see A2A escorts...not so sure about those two together...

[Dreamcast]

Liberator should be faster and drop way more bombs and have carpet bombing.




Galaxy gunship should not drop bombs, instead like canon flak or whatever....be slower but be much tankier.


I guess the liberators is kind of bomb and dash while the galaxy gunship is circle around destroying stuff but idk.

[Captain1nsaneo]

Libs don't have bombs right now. I really have mixed feelings over how they're mucking about with my favorite aircraft. Really feels like the emphasis is being put on the nose gun rather than on the bomber/turret gunner. Guess that fits with their redesign of the tanks but... still doesn't sit right.

Hope the gal has longer range weapons all mounted on one side while the lib is designed for closer air support.

[GreatMazinkaise]

Libs do have bombs... or does a Vanguard 150mm cannon not count as a "bomb"? I imagine those Lib pilots that did nap of the earth bombing runs with AV bombs will be playing much the same as they always did.

[Mechzz]

Libs do have bombs... or does a Vanguard 150mm cannon not count as a "bomb"? I imagine those Lib pilots that did nap of the earth bombing runs with AV bombs will be playing much the same as they always did.

Haven't seen the vid. Were Libs dropping bombs? Last I heard there was no bomber in PS2 - no bombs for Lib in other words.

[GreatMazinkaise]

Haven't seen the vid. Were Libs dropping bombs? Last I heard there was no bomber in PS2 - no bombs for Lib in other words.

One of the proposed guns (most likely ball turret) for the Lib fires a 150mm Vanny shell that is described as being equally effective on all targets provided the shell was right on target (it's in the Loverator video). No, it's not the cluster bombs that flight ceiling Lib bombers liked to spam over enemy courtyards, but it is functionally a "bomb" not unlike the AV fire-mode.

In the hands of a talented nap of the earth flyer and ball turret gunner with good aim it should work more or less the same way it did in Planetside.

[Mechzz]

One of the proposed guns (most likely ball turret) for the Lib fires a 150mm Vanny shell that is described as being equally effective on all targets provided the shell was right on target (it's in the Loverator video). No, it's not the cluster bombs that flight ceiling Lib bombers liked to spam over enemy courtyards, but it is functionally a "bomb" not unlike the AV fire-mode.

In the hands of a talented nap of the earth flyer and ball turret gunner with good aim it should work more or less the same way it did in Planetside.

OK got you. Can't see that a Vanny shell, with a reasonably long reload time, could ever match the impact of a stick of bombs on a tank column :)

And lots of libs trying this as a group will just get farmed by AA vehicles imo.

[Notser]

A-10 loadout for Liberator, MAKE It HAPPEN. I want to see everyone run in fear of my massive...................gun :D. Imagine the smoke, lighting, and sound design for this sucker with a massive gun on the front.

[Zekeen]

A-10 loadout for Liberator, MAKE It HAPPEN. I want to see everyone run in fear of my massive...................gun :D. Imagine the smoke, lighting, and sound design for this sucker with a massive gun on the front.

Wouldn't the rocket loadouts of the fighter class aircraft be the A-10 types?

[Notser]

Wouldn't the rocket loadouts of the fighter class aircraft be the A-10 types?

Well the A-10 is most like the Liberator variant with the big cannon on it from Planetside. I believe it was introduced after the vanilla liberator, also consider that A-10s are not really designed to dogfight. The primary role of the Reaver/mosquito/scythe is close air support. Not to say they won't be effective tank destroyers, but hopefully their damage will be too low to effectively harass a tank column. Also dying in two shots isn't ideal when confronting vehicles that might attack back fiercely. They provide close air support, this tank busting isn't really what they should be doing. Gunships are for infantry on the ground and A-10 type vehicles are sturdy fighters with excellent turning and firepower. Just my opinion course

[UKSwiFT]

Pretty sure the Gal will retain a portion of its transport seats regardless of where its certs are at, though there will be the trade-offs. Considering the Gal is much heavier and slower, I can imagine it having quite a bit of sustained presence, like a tank in the sky.

[Alderego]

Didn't Highby say something about there maybe being a trade-off between offensive and defensive capabilities if you went for a GG instead of a transport one?

Reads to me as if you'd change the side firing guns and/or armor for more air-to-ground kind of weapons?

As for the liberator "bombs", if you watch the Massive Air combat video, at around 1:02-1:04 you get a look down one of the down-ward firing guns on the liberator. Seems to me like that thing is firing pretty fast. It sorta even seems to match the speed at which bombs were dropped.
Next to the fact they can quite easely implement fast fire, slow fire, burst mode etc kinda of mortars. Heck they can even change the ammo type between HE, AP, cluster, mines, etc.

in short: gief beta so we don't have to guess anymore :p

[Noivad]

In PS1, The GG - Galaxy Gunship, has 6 people. Pilot, Rear gunner, L/R Side Gunners, LR Ground Pounder Mortar Launchers. However good pilots just filled one side with gunners and flew it like Puff the Magic Dragon an AC-47 gunship 1st used in Vietnam. The AC130 Gunship is a newer version but used the same techniques developed by the AC47 crews. Also the AC130 of today has taken a more pinpoint firing as oposed to Saturation shooting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKOrpyO0z48

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIFWYkXYViU&feature=related

In PS1 - The Normal Gal could hold 15 people with a marauder loaded in the back. 9 Infantry - 2 max - pilot, 3 in vehicle. It was modeled after the C130 - C141

The liberator was classed as a bomber NOT as a gunship, nor was it it like an A-10 in its bomber role. It could however use its 25 MM Cannon to strafe, was effective, against Infantry, all vehicles, and Air Maxes if handled properly. The # people was 3 - pilot, Bomber, and Rear Gunner. 5 styles of play with it. Sling Bomber, Carpet Bomber, Dive Bomber, Nap Bomber, and Rotational Stationary Strafer. Had the ablity to use cluster bombs and Anti vehicle bombs. Also used as an observation platform, as you were able to see down in a 360 degree direction as far as LOD allowed from pilot view just by hitting the space bar.

There was a Version that took moretime to get called the Vulture - Close Air Support, worked best as a NAP Bomber Anti Vehicle Role, whose advantage was speed with a speed booster similar to fighter aircraft. Same 3 people config. This version more like the A-10 Warhog with its 35mm nose chain gun. and Bomb load.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rGcn2XGr48&feature=related


If the PS2 devs could move a way from making Vehicles do all, Gal-Ams, Sunderer-Lodestar- Mosquito-wasp-reaver, Lightining/Tank-Skyguard, PS2 could be a massively Combat Arms type of Game. Doing all this combination of roles/varients is shrinking the team play that all these rolls provide to the game. The orginal planetside people had it right. A liberator is a bomber not a gunship, A Gal is not a vehicle to spawn at it a vehicle to drop out of and it flys away to bring more troops to battle. :evil:

[NewSith]

AFAICT Liberator is somewhat of a mi24.