Still loving the Lightning

[gonnagetyou]

I'm still carrying the Lightning Cert and loving it more with the 360 degree turret. The only downside is they reduced the angle at which you can lower the muzzles on your 12mm and cannon. I can't get as close to people as I used to, but I've learned to compensate and stay further away or slightly up on an incline so I
can drop my reticule further.

I see a lot more Lightnings now which is great. Before the improved version came out, I often found myself the only one running around. Now you can often see packs of two or three at a time. I probably spend about 80% of my time in the Lightning. The rest of my time is performing Combat Eng. duties or making ANT runs.

I haven't changed many of my tactics. I still primarily use it as a fast hunter killer, to catch infantry and MAX units moving between towers and bases. It is a great AMS hunter, also. Against other vehicles (other than Harassers and ATVs) I like to keep my distance. Mosquitoes and Reavers I don't have much of a problem with. I've killed plenty of them with the 12mm.

Unless there's lot's of enemy around or they're all packing AV weapons, I can usually keep a small squad pinned inside a tower until help arrives.

Patrolling friendly bases is another great use for the Lightning. I sometimes look to see which bases are next on the enemies list to take and get there ahead of the zerg. You'll often find small squads in advance of the zerg setting up the next cap and you can usually take them by surprise. I like to keep them out by running a patrol circuit around the base, constantly checking the entrances and hopefully catching them outside the walls where they're easy to take down. If you have Combat Engineering and can set up deployables before they get there then that's even better. One Lightning with a good driver can keep a small squad busy and be a real pain in their ass.

Here are a few rules I try and stick to:
1. Repair often and every chance you get.

2. Use the 12mm against infantry and air vehicles within close to medium range.

3. Use the 75mm cannon on vehicles and MAX at any range. Use it on infantry at ranges where the 12mm COF is too great. The splash damage from the 75mm is also good for hitting infantry next to a wall/tree or if they are behind cover. If a guy goes behind a tree or rock then aim just to the side and behind the tree. The splash will eventually kill them or force them to move.

4. Don't mix with the herd. What I mean by this is stay on the fringes of the battle and pick off the weak and strays. This way you don't have to contend with all the AV weapons you'll find in the middle of a zerg. I'm sure you've seen enough nature documentaries to know what I'm getting at.

5. Keep moving and practice shooting while on the go. If you can keep pace with a MAX on autorun and land direct hits with the 75mm while moving parallel to him, then you're on your way to being a kick ass Lightning driver.

[NCG JMan]

I too am a CE and a Lightning driver. It's one of my favorite things to do (as you described above my post). I basically do all you recomended. Thanks for the extra tips. It's also interesting to see how others use their certs. Thanks again.

[Smaug]

Heh one thing that makes me happy is to see a noob lightning driver that stays completely still and shells a big crowd. If I'm near enough and have some aces I just set mines right next to them and they blow easily.

[gonnagetyou]

I was once shelling the other side of a bridge and keeping the enemy who was spawning from a tower near there from crossing. A CE Cloaker decided he would try and take me out with mines like Smaug mentioned. Well, I know exactly what a ACE sounds like when being deployed. When he set one I could hear it and knew it was just behind me. I turned on Darklight and swiveled around and pumped 12mm rounds into his carcass. They never did get across that bridge and friendly infantry finally moved in and took the tower.

[Smaug]

Heh yeah some lightning drivers are good, but some are just so fucking dumb you wonder why they bother playing. I think most of the new surge in lightning users was people thinking the new turret would be like BF1942 tanks.

[Caspertoo]

Ah lightnings make such good targets for my reever.

I will say this, I have been scared away from attacks by getting shot at by a lightning, but the thing is 95% of all lightning pilots try to shoot at me with their cannon, which unless i'm hovering and not moving at all, they are going to miss.

So when I'm actually targeting a lightning, unless there are other enemies around, I usually just use my 20mm's and save my rockets.

IMO they are just a better armored and armed version of the ATV's ;p

[Happy lil Elf]

My Lightning is better AA than most of the Empire AV weapons I down reavers and Mosqs left and right because they always seem to think I'm totally defensless without a skyguard sitting next to me.

And yes I my Lightning.

[gonnagetyou]

If I catch a mosquito or reaver by surprise I will sometimes hit them with one 75mm round and then switch over to the 12mm machinegun. This seems to work really good.

Without the element of surprise, I just lay into them with the 12mm. It's a lot easier to hit them with the 12mm and anyone who tries to sit and use the cannon is dead meat.

I try to keep moving against reavers. That way their rockets don't do as much damage.

If a reaver catches me first, then yea, I'm usually dead unless they are low on rockets.

If I engage a reaver or mosquito and they try to run I usually give chase. I can sometimes catch them by surprise when they try and land and repair themselves or you can catch them as they sort of stop and turn around thinking that nobody is around.

I still respect reavers, but I kill more of them than they kill me nowadays.

[Happy lil Elf]

I use the 12mm on smart pilots (the ones who are constantly strafing) but if a reaver is dumb enough to fly straight at me they usuallt get a 75mm shell or two on their way in It takes some practice but eventually you'll be able to maul the reavers before they even open fire

[NCG JMan]

Originally posted by Happy lil' Elf
My Lightning is better AA than most of the Empire AV weapons I down reavers and Mosqs left and right because they always seem to think I'm totally defensless without a skyguard sitting next to me.

And yes I my Lightning.

Ya Happy, I too am finding that my Skeeter and Reaver kills are climbing because people think I am an easy target. Maybe if I am distracted with another target, that's about the only way they will take me out.

[Jagd]

Ok this may be a dumb question, but I can't make the turret turn at all. When I wave the mouse all it changes is the vertical on the turret, while turning the entire vehicle side to side. I have noticed a couple lightnings that seemed to have their turrets facing differently, but I can't seem to make it work. WTH?

[Winged_Nazgul]

I believe you need the Steer With Mouse option unchecked. Or checked, I'm not sure.

[Smaug]

That is correct you cannot have steer with mouse on for the lightning turret to work. 100% sure.