What happen to the Empire Distinctivness in AV weapons?

Marinealver · 2012-07-08, 01:28 AM

Ok watching Day 3 and seeing the HA attacking MAXs and Vehicles with theAV weapons and noticed that well the weapons were pratically the same with diffrent paint and RoF. They were all lock-on guided rocket launchers.

Now in planetside the AV weapons were verry diffrent. The TR had the rapid fire LockOn guided AV weapon. The NC had a Fly By Wire in which they piloted the missle to the target but could only fire one at a time. The VS had a lancer which was a energy bolt that travels super fast and had a slight charge up time so you had to slightly lead but once you learn it you could just unleash bolts upon bolts of fire upon tanks.

So with the whole now every AV is a modified striker there needs to be a more destinctive weapon to the whole HA AV arrament. I see that in Planetside 2 the whole shots to kill is reduced so no longer minuets for TTK it is now seconds (which is good IMHO). So with the tr stryker give it say a lock on guided rocket system that can fire a salvo of 3 rockets at a target. Now the rockets don't do as much dammage individual but combined they add up. The NC need to have a verry powerful missle but give them back the remote control to steer the missle into the enemy tank. The VS need to have their anti-tank laser back. I don't want to say like the "Spartian Laser from HAL0 but an energy base laser that charges up and dose allot of damage but has a slow rate of fire, much slower than the planetside 1 lancer. Now none of these weapons should be able to 1 shot kill a tank, (mabey unless it is a rear attack on a tank but still tweak it down to 2 shots atleast.) But it should help with the whole faction specific weapons.

Bags · 2012-07-08, 01:28 AM

It couldn't have been cuz it was alpha. nope

WorldOfForms · 2012-07-08, 01:31 AM

From what we can tell so far, each faction gets at least 2 kinds of AV - one is the lockon, and the other is the more distinctive kind.

For instance, the VS get the Fission, which is the lockon rocket launcher, but they also get the Lancer.

Like HA weapons (MCG JH and Lasher), I don't think the ESAV has been shown yet because it's not ready.

Erendil · 2012-07-08, 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by WorldOfForms

From what we can tell so far, each faction gets at least 2 kinds of AV - one is the lockon, and the other is the more distinctive kind.

For instance, the VS get the Fission, which is the lockon rocket launcher, but they also get the Lancer.

Like HA weapons (MCG JH and Lasher), I don't think the ESAV has been shown yet because it's not ready.

^^^ This. ^^^

I am kinda disappointed that they'd give all 3 empires a fire-and-forget AV weapon. Talk about cheeze. I was hoping that NO faction would get FAF weapons... Same goes for the A2A missiles the ES fighters have.

At least aircraft have countermeasures like chaff available to them...

Bags · 2012-07-08, 02:32 AM

Good news is the FAF weapons couldn't come close to hiting planes in E3.

Baneblade · 2012-07-08, 02:37 AM

There should be no FAF weapons in the game at all. You should have to maintain lock or your missiles lose their target. LOS, Range, your ass is dead... whatever the reason, lost lock = lost kill.

Wahooo · 2012-07-08, 02:47 AM

I thought I heard that they were still working on the mechanics of all the ES specific weapons for maxes and for the time being they just gave all maxes all the weapons. As the balance tests progress they will adjust/eliminate/sort all the weapons and make them ES then.

Sirisian · 2012-07-08, 03:33 AM

It didn't hit you as completely unbalanceable? I always felt cheap shooting down aircraft with my lancer knowing that the other empires weren't balanced for it. The situational imbalances alone should have made that clear. I don't think non-PS1 players would welcome such gameplay mechanics so readily like some vets. I could be wrong though.

Not to mention any 3 AV weapons that are added essentially removes 2 playstyles from the other factions for better or worse. No real option to sidegrade into another faction's AV at that point.

I'm glad they went with standard AV launchers for the empires this time.

Kran De Loy · 2012-07-08, 03:58 AM

Originally Posted by Sirisian

It didn't hit you as completely unbalanceable? I always felt cheap shooting down aircraft with my lancer knowing that the other empires weren't balanced for it. The situational imbalances alone should have made that clear. I don't think non-PS1 players would welcome such gameplay mechanics so readily like some vets. I could be wrong though.

Not to mention any 3 AV weapons that are added essentially removes 2 playstyles from the other factions for better or worse. No real option to sidegrade into another faction's AV at that point.

I'm glad they went with standard AV launchers for the empires this time.

I personally loved to use the VS shoulder mounted searchlight. I always imagined I was blinding the pilots with science until they blew up.

While I honestly do not care if it's ES or not I would still very much like to see that weapon in the game again. Or at least something similar.

If it has to be ES then to balance it to the other empires give the VS our Carebear-Stare Cannon, the NC an electromagnetic rail-launched mortar (essentially a shorter, stubbier, lighter version of that ugly tube thing on the top half of a Vanguard) and the TR a ...

I dunno what else could be used to emulate an instantaneous or near instantaneous AV weapon that would fit the TR style other than a Vulcan Minigun and that wouldn't really fit ES AV weapon limitations. AV weapons are not used against infantry not because AV weapons aren't equally devastating to foot soldiers as it is to Armor, that only happens in make believe la-la land. AV weapons aren't used against infantry because of ammo limitations. Giving a Vulcan to a TR and telling him it's only for AV may be canon with their lore (mindless drone does what he's told all the time anyway), but eventually some brighter than normal goon will get antsy and try it out on some infantry then it's just a matter of time before the command lines find out how effective it is and probably stop whipping any of the troops that disobeying orders.

I need to go to sleep...

Edit: Maybe a rapid fire flak launcher? Oh that would work great for TR. Yeah

So for HA AV weaponry...
NS - non-FAF missile launcher. For balance reasons should be the most powerful AV due to chaff countermeasures and whatnot.
VS - Lancer - Charge up delay before firing, no travel time.
NC - EM Rail-Launched Mortar - Instant launch but has minor travel time.
TR - Flak Cannon like on their MAX suits only smaller?

GreatMazinkaise · 2012-07-08, 04:21 AM

Pass... the purples can have their AT Rifle, we get our Striker back (with nerfed beeping please), and the NC can keep their weirdo flying camera bomb. That is the essence of Planetside, situational imbalance along faction lines.

Froglicker · 2012-07-08, 04:44 AM

I just don't wanna see any camera guided missiles. It was always incredibly annoying to have infantry hide behind walls and trees while still able to take out MAXes and tanks without ever exposing themselves. What made it worse was by the time you saw the rocket 30m away it'd somehow instantly teleport to my position and explode (at least thats what always happened to me). Give NC wire guided or laser designated rockets instead.

Bags · 2012-07-08, 04:49 AM

Originally Posted by GreatMazinkaise

Pass... the purples can have their AT Rifle, we get our Striker back (with nerfed beeping please), and the NC can keep their weirdo flying camera bomb. That is the essence of Planetside, situational imbalance along faction lines.

The striker is almost always the worst ESAV... only time it's "better" is in the hands of someone who is bad.

Lancer or Phoenix any day, please.

GreatMazinkaise · 2012-07-08, 05:07 AM

Originally Posted by Bags

The striker is almost always the worst ESAV... only time it's "better" is in the hands of someone who is bad.

Lancer or Phoenix any day, please.

Something must've changed in the intervening years, because as I recall the Phoenix was the worst (suffered awful ranged damage degradation combined with it's slow rate of fire).

SixShooter · 2012-07-08, 05:08 AM

Originally Posted by Froglicker

I just don't wanna see any camera guided missiles. It was always incredibly annoying to have infantry hide behind walls and trees while still able to take out MAXes and tanks without ever exposing themselves. What made it worse was by the time you saw the rocket 30m away it'd somehow instantly teleport to my position and explode (at least thats what always happened to me). Give NC wire guided or laser designated rockets instead.

Originally Posted by Bags

The striker is almost always the worst ESAV... only time it's "better" is in the hands of someone who is bad.

Lancer or Phoenix any day, please.

I will take on a Striker over a Pheonix any day. At least with a Striker you get some warning of a lock on. The Lancer took some aiming skill while the NC hid behind rocks and wall shooting arounds corners.

Oh, yeah -- Fuck the NC

Bags · 2012-07-08, 05:09 AM

Originally Posted by GreatMazinkaise

Something must've changed in the intervening years, because as I recall the Phoenix was the worst (suffered awful ranged damage degradation combined with it's slow rate of fire).

Slow rate of fire, but no damage degradation as of March 2006 (when I started it was fine).

Striker is easy to shake, tells enemies you are locking them on, aims for the midsection of maxes, can't kill a mossie in one clip... all it has goin for it is ease of use.