Can Reaver/Mosquito hover and side strafe?

TeaLeaf · 2012-06-27, 06:39 AM

I always assumed that the Reaver and Mosquito would handle like a mix between Jets and Helicopters, but from the limited footage I've seen they seem to behave like Jets with VTOL.

What I mean by helicopter-like behaviour is the ability to roll slightly to one side and move at a slow speed to effectively side strafe. Anyone that's flown choppers in Battlefield should know what I mean. I've seen them move slowy forward but never effectively hover or move sideways.

Does anyone know?

akiadan · 2012-06-27, 07:20 AM

Likely strafing sideways will only be for the scythe but since they are VTOL perhaps at low speeds they can. I don't think anybody can say for certain unless they played at E3. Just a guess not a fact.

Greenthy · 2012-06-27, 07:25 AM

They could in PS1, we'll have to wait and see if they can in PS2

MCYRook · 2012-06-27, 07:33 AM

I seem to remember that way early (before there was any video footage) they said they didn't want aircav to be able to hover completely still in PS2.

In PS1, you could with no problem. Hover, strafe, ascend/descend was all perfectly possible with no forward momentum whatsoever. This affected the way dogfighting was mostly done in PS1 ("turreting"), and made it super easy to camp doors.

From what I've seen so far tho, PS2 planes seem to handle suspiciously much like PS1 planes.

CheeZeX · 2012-06-27, 09:38 AM

in PS2 Mosquito / Reaver CAN hover but for a LIMITED time. They don't come to a complete stop by instead move very slowly forward and descend. If you try to hover to long you hit the group and explode.

Atleast thats what I've seen from videos

BillyBob · 2012-06-27, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by CheeZeX

in PS2 Mosquito / Reaver CAN hover but for a LIMITED time. They don't come to a complete stop by instead move very slowly forward and descend. If you try to hover to long you hit the group and explode.

Atleast thats what I've seen from videos

It would be nice to get more confirmation on this from someone who actually played the game on E3.

That said, several (hopefully most) of us will soon be able to discover this first-hand in Beta.

Personally, I found the hovering and strafing to be one of the coolest aspects of the flight mechanics in PS1. It set it apart from flying in other games and really gave you a sense of having full control over your aircraft. It also made sense from a "game world" perspective in terms of how the aircraft were designed.

That said, I can understand if having too much freedom for the maneuverability of the aircraft, especially when it comes to steady hovering, could give it too much of an upper hand against other units.

Still...I would sure love to be able to strafe and hover as in PS1.

/BB

Electrofreak · 2012-06-27, 01:06 PM

Pretty sure I saw a Scythe just hovering and turreting a few times in the PS2 vids. That's how it was in PS1 and it'd be unsurprising if that's how it'll work in PS2.

However, it would be pretty OP for the Scythe to be able to turret in this fashion without the Mosquito or Reaver to be able to. All 3 aircraft have different flight characteristics but one should not have the ability hover indefinitely while the others do not.

I agree, I'd like to see some proof that this is the case.

Raymac · 2012-06-27, 01:25 PM

I asked this question specifically to Higby over twitter a little while ago. This was his response:

@KC_McG Requires a bit more dexterity, but yes, you can make them strafe, circle strafe, etc.

I'm really looking forward to see how they feel.

Rago · 2012-06-27, 01:32 PM

Just go Vanu ! We have the Cool Stuff

krakendoom · 2012-06-29, 05:00 PM

As a two Cents post. It would make perfect sense for only the Vanu Scythe be able to hover and turn on the spot due to it's flight style, it has the highest mobility, where as the mosq is going to be faster and the reaver is going to soak up more and hit harder.

But i'm going for the wait and see approach, once beta is in full swing and we get in we will all be able to discuss in detail the ins and outs....in the correct places of course

Warborn · 2012-06-29, 05:38 PM

Being able to hover where the other fighters can't would be such a monumental advantage that unless we're talking about pretty massive speed/armor differences the other fighters wouldn't be able to compete. How would you ever win a dogfight against an enemy plane that can simply come to a stop at an appropriate time, let you fly by them, and then shoot you in the rear? Not to mention that hovering in place and shooting infantry/vehicles with rockets is the modus operandi of what was by far the most lethal killing machine in Planetside 1. Forcing the mosquito/reaver to actually play like jets would make them less effective air-to-air fighters and vastly less effective air-to-ground fighters.

Biohazard · 2012-06-29, 06:45 PM

They can hover forever / side strafe like a copter. Look here at 1:10

However hovering in battle == Easy pray for tanks

Warborn · 2012-06-30, 12:47 AM

Hovering in battle lasts for a few seconds while you unload rockets, and then you afterburn away. Higby did it during the demo a lot, everyone in the game did it in PS1. Actually, in PS1 aircav were the real infiltrators. Nobody was quite as sneaky as reaver/skeeter pilots. They'd hover right up to you and unload such that no aiming was required, and you'd often die before you were able to even draw your anti-armor weapon (if you had one).