Lightning Armor Upgrade?

[1024]

Do you agree with a 20 to 30% upgrade on the lighnings armor?

Right now it can get waxed by a simple guy with a thumber. I mean, c'mon, a light tank vs a guy with a grenade launcher?

[eXoSloth]

I pwn lightnings with my phoenix

[Hamma]

Yes, and while they do that they need to fix the prowler, it sucks.

[Vis Armata]

Prowlers are respectable enough, especially if a good crew is shelling your Vanguard with both guns...

Lightnings aren't supposed to be mini-juggernauts - I drive one of those too, and I have to say that while it's a pain to run into a squad of Strikers, the little tank is good for hit and run, long-range shelling, etc. To keep with its overall mission, I wouldn't add armor.

Even as a Vanguard driver, I would agree with Hamma on the Prowler - an armor boost coupled with either no change or a small decrease in speed would solidify the notion in my mind of the behemoth.

[gonnagetyou]

I like the Lightning how it is. More armor would just mean people start using it more aggressively like they do the main battle tanks.

I have no problem taking on either the NC or TR with hit and run tactics. The trick against Phoenix users is to stay near trees. The missiles will usually just buzz around you doing very little damage when they do explode.

When driving the Lightning I use it to hunt down troops moving between towers and bases and stick to cover as much as possible. This way you only have to deal with one or two guys at a time typically and you can munch on them at your leisure. The new 360 turret has made the Lightning twice as effective as it was for me.

The only thing I run from now is main battle tanks and Sunderers when both guns are being manned. Occasionally I'll run from a Reaver if they get the jump on me and I'm near a warpgate, otherwise I rip into them with the 12mm.

Kill, run and repair. I can do that all night long.

[Bluemoon]

ahmen to that the lighting if it had a little armor would be nice but its not meant to own the battlefield you have to use your brain and it owns if you use them right.

[Daeda1us]

Rumor has is is that the heavy buggys have more armor than the lightning. That doesn't make any sense to me.

What I would like to see is a different armament. 35mm chaingun (from the lib) as the primary, and a dumbfire rocket system as the secondary (like the reaver).

[1024]

I dunno, the vanu see mto rape lightning becasue even if you hit and run 2 or 3 guys, and one has a lance and is still alive, you're dead. casue even if you run away all he needs is a clear LOS and he can waste you.

[Bluemoon]

me and i friend times it it takes 5 seconds for a vanu guy with a lancer to take out a lightight

[gonnagetyou]

Originally posted by 1024
I dunno, the vanu see mto rape lightning becasue even if you hit and run 2 or 3 guys, and one has a lance and is still alive, you're dead. casue even if you run away all he needs is a clear LOS and he can waste you.

Look at what you just said. He needs a clear line of sight to waste you. Don't give him one.

I have to do this all the time against TR and NC. They can kill a Lightning who's not using cover just as quickly as a Lancer carrying Vanu. And believe me, it is hard to hit a moving target with the Lancer as it is. Throw in some cover and you make it twice as hard for him.

When using the Lightning look for kill areas between bases to operate in. These are high traveled areas that offer you cover and places to retreat and repair when necessary. Hossin and Amerish have many of these areas and that's where I use the Lightning the most. Stay on ground that offers cover and doesn't slow you down when trying to maneuver and you'll be fine. When you do actually get near a base stick to the walls. This way you limit the number of directions you will recieve fire from.

At some point you will be destroyed. But if you do the things I've suggested, then I can guarantee you will get way more kills than you imagined you could.

[NoSurrender]

yea the prowler is terrible it isnt hard for a few guys with a phoneix to take one out much less a reaver theyre like big slow targets and the lightning needs more armor im NC and ive killed them very easily with my AI max

[1024]

Originally posted by gonnagetyou
Look at what you just said. He needs a clear line of sight to waste you. Don't give him one.

no, really?


Its not tat easy to get rid of his most of the time. And when you do get away, he calls his buddies and you gotta deal 5 guys with lancers.

[Chryse]

I drove the Lightning for a good amount of time in beta and picked it back up just before the turret upgrade patch. I'm in favor of a slight upgrade in the armor. Nothing in way of making them mini main battle tanks (MBT's), just maybe a 30-40% increase to make them survive small arms and turret fire a little better. MBT's and AT weapons should still own them, and I agree with gonnagetyou that anything more drastic would just encourage people to use them like MBT's.

What I would also like to have seen was different variants of Lighting, just like there are variants to MAX'es. These would have the same chassis but different turrets for specialized jobs. Someone mentioned this in a post a week or so ago but I'd been thinking about it for a while. Beside the standard Lightning (call it the Mk.2 with the turret upgrade) this is what I would like to see:

Lightning Mk.3 Air Defense Artillery (ADA) variant- This variant retains the 12mm chaingun but replaces the 75mm cannon with the same flak gun found on the Skyguard. Or, to be extra frisky, how about empire-specific variants that use the AA weapon of the MAX? TR would have the flak cannon, NC would have a Sparrow launcher and the VS would have their AA weapon (I forget the name, sorry).

Benefits: Allows for mobile ADA for vehicle convoys that is slightly more survivable than the Skyguard.

Downside: A one-person vehicle like this would obviate the existance of the Skyguard and could call into question the need for AA MAX'es.

Lightning Mk. 4 Anti-Tank (AT) variant- This variant replaces the 12mm chaingun with a 25mm autocannon and retains the 75mm cannon. Or, alternatively, replace the 75mm with a vehicle mounted, reloadable Decimator. I was thinking putting empire-specific AV weapons on there would be cool, but decided they would be terribly overpowered, being able to withstand small arms fire that would kill an AV trooper, be able to move much faster and be able to carry more reloads.

Benefits: Allows for more mobile AT warfare in the open, and for armored ambushes on vehicle columns.

Downside: This variant would be make the standard (Mk.2) obsolete or, at the very least, relegate it to light artillery duties.

[gonnagetyou]

Originally posted by 1024
no, really?

Yes, really!

But seriously, I can understand you're frustration. I've gone through so many Lightnings I've lost track. But every time I play I get a little better and I refine my tactics in the process. At the moment I can typically keep a Lightning going for about 30 minutes thanks to my handy Engineering Cert. My record was about 1 and half hours before dying. I probably don't get as many kills in as most people during that time, but I can guarantee you my kill/death ratio is a lot higher than most. If you're not averaging at minimum 8-10 infantry, a couple MAXs and a vehicle or two with a single Lightning, then you're not using it properly. You can't sit and trade blows with anyone. You need to hit and run, repair and then repeat.

Hang in there and keep at it. I've been playing since beta and I'm still learning new tricks.

Maybe I should start a Lightning training course.

[gonnagetyou]

I love those ideas Chryse!