Piloting Aircraft Difficulty

[Comet]

I this article (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/planetside-2/1225275p1.html) the author is explaining how difficult it can be to learn to fly, making it a worth while skill to work on.

It was mentioned that there is a current debate if the difficulty should be tones down. I think it should be a system where it's easy enough to learn the basics but difficult to master. There should be a reward for being able to pilot very well and manage to make a difference in a large air battle aside from just numbers.

When you're running in with a squad of players, there is massive amounts of strategy as far as how you move forward, covering your team mates and how well you can aim/utilize your grenades. It's easy to learn how to shoot, run around and even take basic cover, but, moving as a team or learning how to effectively move/shoot your way through a battle field can take some time to master, not to mention skill. Piloting aircraft should work in a similar fashion. Easy enough to fly around a bit, aim your weapons on slow moving targets ect., but, get into a dog fight on a situation where you're flying 10 feet off the ground, around objects, managing your trusts, dodging missle locks and pulling off stunts to avoid machine gun fire - it should be rewarding.

This also only covers the air-air game. Similar experiences should transfer over for a good Liberator and Galaxy pilot as well.

I am sure these opinions are no-brainers to Higby and friends but I thought I'd at least post my feedback and opinion on the matter

PS - Does anyone know how it will work if I have a joystick setup for flying but then disembark my craft to repair it or setup a spawn point via Galaxy? Will there be a quick switch in controls that disables the flight joystick and enables the regular mouse/keyboard control setup when not in an aircraft?

[Deflagrate]

I like where you are going with this.

One game that in my opinion had some of the deepest pilot combat mechanics was Star Wars Galaxies. The depth of game play that supported and went into ships was amazing in terms of certifications etc., and the actual combat was no joke. At the basic level there were options, and so many different ways to play for those who got into it, such as larger ships in which there were people gunning, others could be manning various repair points within to aid the ship.

I think beta will be where so many things will be tweaked/tuned in terms of aircraft piloting. It's such a tricky balance to be able to appeal to the hardcore pilot who plays with a joystick and dedicated keymap, etc. for piloting, and someone who wants to be able to fly around and contribute to the fight. Piloting should have a place for both of these players.

[Xyntech]

Inherently, some things will always be easier or harder in games. For example, running around in a MAX suit will simply have a lower skill ceiling than an Infiltrator or Light Assault, simply because there just isn't as much that a MAX can do. That doesn't mean that a person can't be a much more skilled MAX user, or that LA or Inf's have to be ridiculously hard to begin to use or be overpowered when mastered. It's just a necessary difference created by the alternative ways the different classes approach fighting.

Aircraft will undoubtedly be one of the highest skill ceiling skills in the game, thanks to it's high speed/decent firepower/low armor nature, and especially thanks to the more advanced flight physics. While this doesn't mean that it has to be impossible to pick it up and fly one on the first try, it does mean that it will probably have to be the hardest of the vehicles or classes to learn.

I think that flying will be fun enough to make up for the difficulty though. Some players won't be interested, but I think that's okay. From what we've seen from the E3 footage, it's looking like they're currently pretty close to perfect on the matter. While a lot of people crashed, most of it was due to miscalculating how the vehicle handled. I bet that 90% of the players we saw crashing would have started surviving a lot longer within their first hour of flying. While hovering is clearly more difficult and dangerous than in the first game, I don't think I saw one person fall out of the sky because of it.

A big factor in balancing aircraft for new players versus skilled pilots may be the customization options as well. Players who are having a hard time getting into flying but who really want to do it could earn cert points doing other stuff and then spend those points to sidegrade their aircraft in ways that make it easier to fly. Slower speed+higher armor will probably help, and having lots of rockets to spam the ground with will probably be the best bet for a newer pilot as well.

Skilled pilots on the other hand may tend to opt for increasing their speed an maneuverability at the cost of armor, pushing the difficulty up even higher, allowing them to really get immersed in it's intricacies.

[Dougnifico]

I think a big worry is they seem to use a control scheme similar to BF3's piloting. It was hard to get used to. This shouldn't be as much an issue as the speed can be dropped significantly more than BF3 and you don't have to turn every 3 seconds. My only concern is how much they feel like helicopters vs. planes. I f**king hate helicopters...

[SKYeXile]

imo controls should be the same aas PS1 but add the buttons for roll, dont see why they need to copy BF controls.

[Azovyr]

I hope they keep it nice and difficult, because in PS1 it feels there is more aircraft than infantry sometimes which doesn't seem quite right.

[Zar]

Originally Posted by Azovyr

I hope they keep it nice and difficult, because in PS1 it feels there is more aircraft than infantry sometimes which doesn't seem quite right.

that was mostly due to weapon imbalance i stayed in the air cause the odds were even up if i got shot down it wasn't cause he had x weapon and trounced me it was cause he just beat me xD

[Dougnifico]

Originally Posted by SKYeXile

imo controls should be the same aas PS1 but add the buttons for roll, dont see why they need to copy BF controls.

I like how BF3 is so fluid and does require some skill. It really makes you feel in control of every pound of the aircraft. It just sucked on those small maps and not being able to slow down much. This should be much better. Can't wait to pick up a skeeter.

[Landtank]

Originally Posted by SKYeXile

imo controls should be the same aas PS1 but add the buttons for roll, dont see why they need to copy BF controls.

Meh flying in PS1 is so boring, I like the idea of an aircraft having weight to it, it requires more skill imo.

[alienmoose]

Originally Posted by SKYeXile

imo controls should be the same aas PS1 but add the buttons for roll, dont see why they need to copy BF controls.

Me too, all I really want to do is spam infantry and rack up as many kills as possible.

[Katalliaan]

I'll preface this with the statement that I have not played the original Planetside nor any Battlefield games since 2142.

From what I have seen, I would almost think that the aircraft (well, maybe not the Scythe) would have similar controls to the aircraft in Battlefield 2142. As far as flight is concerned, they appear to be designed around the same core principle - vectored thrust in order to keep the craft moving and in the air.

[Zar]

Originally Posted by alienmoose

Me too, all I really want to do is spam infantry and rack up as many kills as possible.

sounds like someone played alone or had an outfit who didn't know what aa was XD

[AThreatToYou]

The aircraft in PS1 were super easy to fly, yet I still knew some people who absolutely could not fly them for their life. That's... not good for PS2 if it's going to be even harder then.

[alienmoose]

Originally Posted by Zar

sounds like someone played alone or had an outfit who didn't know what aa was XD

innocence of youth

[SKYeXile]

Originally Posted by Landtank

Meh flying in PS1 is so boring, I like the idea of an aircraft having weight to it, it requires more skill imo.

what does this have to do with the controls?