No point in getting good in flying :((

[KesTro]

Learn to lead you targets. I don't know if scythes have bullet drop for their rotary or if you're even using you're rotary. If you aren't that is your problem. Then again I could be wrong, I know a lot of scythes users prefer the default gun for sniping infantry. Someone correct me if you can. Either way learning to lead your target is what is going to save you and in general just becoming familiar with how your guns on the scythe behave.

[snafus]

Issue with Planet Side is that the potential for aircraft effectiveness used to be very high. Back at launch pilots could obliterate ground combatants, but we still took heavy losses our selves. Now pilots being the master race of PS2 naturally learned to seek out easier kills that don't pew pew back as much. And thus we farmed "bad" infantry players to the point that many players quit or acquired a deep rooted hatred for the skill based aspect of the game.

Then followed a grand campaign on forum side that lead to the continued nerfing of all vehicles, aircraft in particular. This great crusade of butt hurt bad ground players continue to this day praying that the ESF or LIB may never reach its old status of awesomeness. For these sad reasons we video game pilots must still outperform ground pounders with great feats of skill and E-courage. With our majestic space stallions nerfed to the degree even COD kiddies can find appealing we have learned to persevere. It isn't easy and requires hundreds of hours to reach even the title of "good" pilot. But with patience and the acceptance you will die an ungodly amount to broken game mechanics or OP AA systems then I think you will do just fine.

[Reithan]

Originally Posted by snafus

With our majestic space stallions nerfed to the degree even COD kiddies can find appealing we have learned to persevere.

You had me until this part.

How would nerfing them make them more appealing?

Other than that - spot on. :P

[snafus]

Originally Posted by Reithan

You had me until this part.

How would nerfing them make them more appealing?

Other than that - spot on. :P

SOE had to bring us down a couple notches to make the game more fun for the supposed oppressed peasants.

[Reithan]

Originally Posted by snafus

SOE had to bring us down a couple notches to make the game more fun for the supposed oppressed peasants.

But that would make infantry more appealing, not ESFs... *brainhurt*

[snafus]

Originally Posted by Reithan

But that would make infantry more appealing, not ESFs... *brainhurt*

That is the point, they are the larger player base that needs to be made happy. The smaller player base that makes the pilots are not a priority.

[Reithan]

Why can't we all just get along? :P

[Wahooo]

Originally Posted by Reithan

Why can't we all just get along? :P

Because everything one side uses is obviously the right way to play and requires skill to use effectively and whatever the other side uses is cheap and OP.

Why there must be "sides" I dunno.

[PredatorFour]

Originally Posted by KesTro

Learn to lead you targets. I don't know if scythes have bullet drop for their rotary or if you're even using you're rotary. If you aren't that is your problem. Then again I could be wrong, I know a lot of scythes users prefer the default gun for sniping infantry. Someone correct me if you can. Either way learning to lead your target is what is going to save you and in general just becoming familiar with how your guns on the scythe behave.

Turbo laser is a BEAST for killing infantry so yes, get a rotary asap would be my advice I would say get pods too. A lot of pilots use AB and rotary but you can still take them on with the 'all rounder' set up. Getting pods will get you more XP quicker.

Learn to shoot infantry with rotary. You can do this in the warpgate free from harm, practising on friendlies. I use thermal vision on both rotary and pods and it does help a lot especially with sniping troops with the turbo laser from quite far away (like when they sit on bio lab pads)

Getting the dogfighting frame will help you shooting infantry and ESFs with rotary. A lot of flyers use Hover airframe for doing outrageous moves in dogfights but you can do this with dogfighting if you want just not to the same extent. When you go up against some hover pilot doing these moves it is important to get to grips leading them as they move, this again takes experience so you have to be patient. Also keep moving side to side, make yourself as hard to hit as possible as you chase after them.

Upgrade the composite armour asap too and grab flares.

So you have a long way to go to get the certs to do all this but it is worth it. Try to keep within friendly lines and always be backed up by other scythes. A guy called Daddy who is the number 1 in the whole game does this. He flys his mossie(where there is normally around 50 % tr pop on the cont) within a big TR force and farms noobs. It is much safer with strength in numbers afterall.

[SolLeks]

For a loadout, get the rotay (in your scythe's case, the hailstorm) and keep your AB fuel pods for now, switch to rockets if you get good with the rotary and want to focus on A2G (but get your rotary skills up first). the frame you choose is 100% preference, all 3 frames have their place. get flares because lockons and for a defensive slot, either go stealth or nanites (I run nanites).

Next, if you have a good handle on flying and 'choppering around' (IE using hover mode to move yourself as if you are a chopper) then learn the reverse maneuver (youtube it, many many good videos. I suggest anything from spadarfaar).

After you can use that fairly well (I suggest 2 hours of practice) then get your situational awareness up. A good headset with surround sound is a must as that will be your main indicator of where the enemy is in a tight dogfight, Learn the enemy's engine sounds and weapon sounds (so in your case, the reaver's engine and mossies' engin / weapons). After you have a decent grasp on that (should not take to long if you play a lot of FPS games and use footsteps to find people) then you can go into combat and win most of your fights. It will take a wile to get your lead down but the good thing is the scythe is fairly forgiving on that end (not as much as the mossie though).

All aircraft will die in one magazine from your rotary, assuming you hit all rounds. the same is with you, you will die if hit with an entire magazine from any other aircraft. infantry take 2 to 3 hits to kill, and tanks take about 2 to 3 mags to kill depending on where you hit.

Last bit of advice, talk to enemy pilots who kill you, /w them "good fight" and often they will whisper back, most pilots, even more so the aces, will talk with you if you killed them or you got killed by them. And find a good scythe pilot on your server (can figure out the name by asking skilled pilots who killed you if there are any scythes that they fear, often times pilots will know a lot of other pilots on the server, my friends list is almost entirely enemy pilots lol).

It can be good to watch videos of other pilots as well, they can give you ideas on how to kill and dodge better.


shameless video plug =) but I think the wall of text justifies it xD

[Zadexin]

Originally Posted by Reithan

Nope. Still fun.
http://youtu.be/8bUfQoIBrrY

Nice video.

I gotta say I envy you pilot guys a little bit. PS2 looks incredible from the air. I have never been able to able to really get the hang of flying with mouse and keyboard.