Air to Ground Resolution

[Fear The Amish]

So was sitting there and was thinking about the AA problem and i think ive come up with a solution, giv Skygaurds a radar perk. This would act like real world mobile AA were you have to turn it on and then it would alow you to lock on and the platform would auto track the target. But you would add in a counter ARAM (anti radiation missles). So we would add anothe type of ESF profile using ARAM's to track and destroy these skygaurds. The skygaurd though could turn off the radar which would cause the ARAM to go dumb and would just go to last location radar was detected (so the skygaurd would need to actually play games with turning on and off and moving).

This would also add alot of really cool tactics. Like an old NVA tactic called Popcorn. They would place AA sites in a wide area and would turn themselves on and off one at a time drawing air units deeper and deeper in until the wild weasel was over a giant swarm then they would all power on and destroy the plane. Also you could have on the pilot side offensives starting like desert storm were you had several all go in at once destroying the front line AA sites in a small path opening a gate way for the A2G fighters to stream in and take out multiple targets then scoot out.

[Sledgecrushr]

This seems like a really fun idea. Though the lock on really has to include a skill element. Maybe the radar would give you a firing resolution like a box moving in front of the aircraft so it accounts for the flightpath and speed that the aircraft is on.

[Whiteagle]

Awnings... WHERE ARE THE FUCKING AWNINGS?!?!

[boogy]

Awnings... WHERE ARE THE FUCKING AWNINGS?!?!

Oh you mean those things tanks can use to bounce spash damage onto the infantry hiding behind the crate?

[typhaon]

Oh you mean those things tanks can use to bounce spash damage onto the infantry hiding behind the crate?

Well.. I'm sure the tanks would rather have the whole thing explode, crumble, and crush the infantry... but we take what we can get.

[Wahooo]

Or we can just allow Engys to place auto AA batteries (spits)

do NOT want. I am a super proponent of good AA. My first two SC purchases at release day was SG and dual burster... dual burster on both TR and VS toons.

I think those cerberus turrets in PS1 were one of the most annoying things ever.

Thing is it just won't happen. To many of the devs are ESF pilots. The maps as big as they are are just too small with too little free airspace to have flak similar to PS1. AA in PS2 is basically just like the Jackhammer. The Jackhammer is either no different than the other shotguns in game or it is overpowered. I don't really see a good way to balance. AA in PS2 looks like it is the same way. It is either going to be anemic and unfun or it is going to be OP.

Either way just for a week or so I would like if AA got the same TTK buff that every other weapon got from PS1 to PS2.

[Chewy]

To be honest I kinda wish there was a way to test just what a SG and burster can do without having to run off to a far off hex and pray no pubs come by to mess things up.

Im in the camp of "something needs done about crap ground based AA", but lately ESFs haven't been a real problem after the rocketpod nerf. Libbies are the ones that I can't seem to deal with. They just take so much fire to do anything against them. If there's not around 5-6 dual berster MAXes with engie backup then a single libby can take out a good chunk of ground forces with every pass and still have time to run off for repairs if needed. Sometimes all while staying outside of flak range. Can't tell you how often I have had to watch helplessly while a libby rained hell on our armor because he was hovering outside of flak range.

I think that if we can see it, we should be able to shoot it based on skill of leading the target and adjusting for drop. That or make flak fire auto explode at max range leaving a smoke cloud for .25 of a tick like in the old WWII movies. Seeing a wall of flak smoke can be a better air deterrent than damage ever could.

It'll be shit for performance, but you can't make something be a deterrent without fear. Seeing how this is a game with infinite respawns and near unlimited vehicles. Fear needs to be seen/heard beforehand to make you think about it so the fear can fester and grow in the back of ones mind.

[Electrofreak]

So was sitting there and was thinking about the AA problem and then I got rocket spammed.

Fixed.

[Fear The Amish]

This seems like a really fun idea. Though the lock on really has to include a skill element. Maybe the radar would give you a fiing resolution like a box moving in front of the aircraft so it accounts for the flightpath and speed that the aircraft is taking.

yeah the skill element is the if you leave it on too long you are BEGGING for an ARAM in the face. So you have to play around with flickering it on and off and moving around to prevent that.

Edit: ok re-read that again and that actually sounds awesome have the HUD show like a sweet spot or something.

[Rolfski]

Interesting idea that could lead to some fun tactics but as said, it needs to have some skill involved.

[Whiteagle]

Had an idea for an AA Missile battery for the Lightning...
I'm thinking to separate it from the Skyguard (Renamed the "Rattler" to fit with the theme), the "Asp" turret forgoes sight upgrades for the ability to lock multiple missiles on targets.

So you'd have the Rattler (with a projectile speed increase to make tracking easier and probably faster reloading) be a much faster but more skillful means of damaging air while the Asp needs time to designate its targets as well as only doing a particular chunk of damage per hit.

They would also require separate counters, Flak armor or Flares.

Of course, considering the heat A2A missiles get for being skill-less weapons, maybe someone mixed their code up with the G2A Launchers...
Certainly be interesting to see how the balance would work with that change.