The Air game is 20 times better post GU11

[phungus]

Wow the burster nerf has had a huge effect. HUGE. I saw today multiple incidents where Bursters set up in their normal overlook spots to troll air and cert farm: DENIED all they got was boring camping, maybe getting an "ground to air damage" bonus here and there. Surprised to see no tears shed over this loss of "tactics", and good luck for all you trolls that used to warpgate camp with a sundee a few MAXes: DENIED that shit don't work no more. The days of a single sunderer with a couple MAXes being able to deny all airspace anywhere near them are over.

The main effect for me has been that I can actually engage in battles. I have to zip in and out once they pull AA, I can't just hoverspam my rotary (but I will until some peasant does grab AA). The moment someone does grab flak it no longer means I am forbidden to be anywhere near the area. Fighting in decent sized battles now as an ESF is fun! I haven't tried large battles yet, but I was engaged in a couple decent sized fights and it looked like real combined arms!

The A2Am buff/fix along with burster changes have completely changed the air game. Right now I don't know how things work, but ESFs feel good again. On Connery there are alot, and I mean alot of A2Am users. Overall this has been a good change, but there are two problems. First A2Am and G2Ar don't differentiate to the player, and you have to flee from G2A locks and turn to fight A2A locks, picking wrong is pretty much guarunteed death. It's no fun to lose your ESF due to what comes down to a coin flip. What I want is a spare flare to go along with my AB tanks, I would be happy with that and nothing else, but we'll see what the ESF has in store.

Have any large outfits started opening up their tactics and duscussed air play again to actually augment forces? Air is certainly viable in much larger battles now where it was previously totally denied access. Seems this is a much bigger change then most people realize.

I also have not done any testing with the lib. Anyone notice any differences in lib flying, is it any easier?

[Ellipson]

I definitely noticed a difference in air cover tonight on Mattherson. Air was having a much bigger impact in larger scale fights, which is great, even though I hold the title of World's Worst PS2 Pilot.

I still think there's some scaling issues with Flak in the bigger fights, but I'm not sure what the fix is for that; regardless, this was definitely a positive balance change.

[snafus]

My reaction for the nerfs to the Burster. But my god have the nubs come out with the A2AM lately. I think it is about 2/3 of my targets have the nube launchers attached. They really need to force them to at least keep a continuous lock to force some skill to use the sorry weapon.

[Whiteagle]

Originally Posted by phungus

Surprised to see no tears shed over this loss of "tactics"...

Right now I don't know how things work, but ESFs feel good again. On Connery there are alot, and I mean alot of A2Am users.

This is because Air hasn't realised it can shit over everything yet...

Got my ass ROFLPODDED in a Skyguard after literally using it to run circles around the defenders at J908; you can't actual HIT aircraft with the fucking thing so all I got were assist when the terribad Reaver Pilots flew into the fucking ground!

Just wait until the wannabe Airchavs realise there isn't actually anything to stop them now, we'll be back to this shortly:

Originally Posted by snafus

But my god have the nubs come out with the A2AM lately.

Snafus, you are the god damn Noob if they're even GETTING LOCKS with A2A Missiles, the fucking things still take a three count and that is FOREVER in a turning fight...
The only way to win in Air to Air is to actually HAVE back up, otherwise you might as well ingore each other and farm the ground...

[phungus]

Originally Posted by snafus

http://youtu.be/0wiwADYryjs

My reaction for the nerfs to the Burster. But my god have the nubs come out with the A2AM lately. I think it is about 2/3 of my targets have the nube launchers attached. They really need to force them to at least keep a continuous lock to force some skill to use the sorry weapon.

It's a good thing, it's forced me to use AB tanks to survive, instead of using them myself. They are arguably too good in groups though, but some people will say groups should have an air superiority force multiplier if they can field enough ESF pilots.

Frankly I'd rather have noobs with A2Am to deal with then the pre GU11 bursters. I still think though I should get a second flare for taking AB tanks, and I need to be told if the lock is a ground or air source. But it's much, much better then things were.

I also haven't noticed the skyguard buff at all as an ESF. I'm sure it exists, and I always respected skygaurds, but it's not like they are sniping me from crazy ranges like people said they would.

[JohnnyRicardo]

I think it's just a matter of time before the skies is filled with max altitude liberators blowing everything back to the stone age.

[Nur]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRicardo

I think it's just a matter of time before the skies is filled with max altitude liberators blowing everything back to the stone age.

[Shogun]

the g2a missiles need an extreme range buff now, so we can fight liberator bombspamming!

or defending bases will become an even rarer sight.
how are we going to defend against high altitude liberators once we can´t pull skyguards?
maxes are useless against them and infantry has nothing that can even fire at them!

so the specific air launchers need maximum range, to at least be able to force liberators to move!

[AThreatToYou]

Personally, now I am just glad that I can hope to use my ESF as a bomber interceptor without being trolled the fuck out with Bursters. Bursters everywhere.

Perhaps Skyguards need to be buffed a tad more, but as far as my experience post-nerf with bursters is, they are still effective at 1. gaining points and 2. deterring air and 3. killing hoverspammers.

[Baneblade]

Originally Posted by snafus

My reaction for the nerfs to the Burster. But my god have the nubs come out with the A2AM lately. I think it is about 2/3 of my targets have the nube launchers attached. They really need to force them to at least keep a continuous lock to force some skill to use the sorry weapon.

I dunno, I find the nose gun much easier to use than the A2Am.

[Thunderhawk]

Originally Posted by Shogun

the g2a missiles need an extreme range buff now, so we can fight liberator bombspamming!

or defending bases will become an even rarer sight.
how are we going to defend against high altitude liberators once we can´t pull skyguards?
maxes are useless against them and infantry has nothing that can even fire at them!

so the specific air launchers need maximum range, to at least be able to force liberators to move!

Ask your ESFs to engage the Liberators.......rather than trying to farm kills on the ground.

- Problem solved

[Forsaken One]

Originally Posted by Whiteagle

Just wait until the wannabe Airchavs realise there isn't actually anything to stop them now, we'll be back to this shortly:

QFT

White that comic is so true. bursters are a useless waste of inf points atm.
You could triple the damage a SG does and make it fire 4 flak shells at once, it will still be a shitty roflpod bullseyes because of its size.

Originally Posted by Thunderhawk

Ask your ESFs to engage the Liberators.......rather than trying to farm kills on the ground.

- Problem doubled

Needing air to kill air? really? So you're saying that balance is totally screwed, because when something is its only real counter thats when you know its overpowered to "godhood" levels.

But yeah, its easy to tell its gone back to Airside. We're just waiting for more pilots or forbid outfits to find out.

Even the first day of the patch alone there was like 3 times the air and they couldn't be stopped from blowing tanks and sundys. through half of them didn't have flares so most people stopped bothering with flak as its useless and just spamed launchers.

[Obstruction]

maybe if a2a had a different lock alarm.

i'd also maybe like to see a visual indicator showing how many locks you have.

and now would be a great time to rework flares into an ammunition based built in ability for all aircraft.

[Roderick]

Flying in the air was amazing last night. Best update ever!!!

No more grief from Burster MAX users. I flew low on one base and nearly paid for it. That is how it should be. Once I flew high again, the skies were free to combat enemy ESF's, etc without the nonsense.

[Shogun]

Originally Posted by Obstruction

maybe if a2a had a different lock alarm.

i'd also maybe like to see a visual indicator showing how many locks you have.

and now would be a great time to rework flares into an ammunition based built in ability for all aircraft.

yeah, change the lock visual so the pilot gets no warning until a missile is fired at him!

but also increase missile lock on range by 50%.

because it is totally back to airside as it is now!

bursters nerfed to total uselessness AND rescost increased, skyguard not accurate enough and not enough range, missiles not enough range and every pilot uses flares now, even aa turrets suck. so there is absolutely NO weapon against air, that is as effective as the weapons air turns against ground.
and the sky is full of aircrafts now all the time.

thanks for screwing the game again for all nonpilots.

by the way, is joystick support fixed already, so i could finally try to pilot something as well? i want to use the overpower flavour of the month as well...