Got any tips for Lightning drivers?

gonnagetyou · 2003-05-30, 01:24 PM

Anyone else enjoy the Lightning? Got any tips?

I've been using the Lightning for about a week now and I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. I don't claim to be an expert yet, but here is some of my advice to future Lightning drivers.

It's a very flexiable vehicle to use. The 75mm Cannon and 20mm machinegun combo allow you to engage any type of enemy. It's fairly fast and lightly armored. In fact the thin armor is the only drawback this little vehicle has.

The lightning is perfectly suited for hit and run tactics. In fact never stop moving. Learn to fire both weapons effectively while on the move. If you try to stay still and trade blows with enemies you'll find yourself destroyed in no time. Use the terrain to your advantage and never stay still in one place for very long. I don't think I can say that enough.

The 75mm is great for taking out MAX units quickly as long as you can get a direct hit. The splash damage does decent damage to concentrated infantry units, For regular infantry however, you want to switch over to the 20mm machinegun. It will cut thru reinforced armor like a chainsaw once you get the hang of aiming it. And if you get the chance there's nothing like using a combination of the two and your front bumper. Just be aware that ramming isn't always the best option as you will take damage when you do. In a heated firefight every little piece of armor on the Lightning counts.

The 75mm is also great for taking down enemy defenses from a distance. The range is huge and usually you can sit back from a comfortable distance and pound enemy turrets with impunity. It's great as a mobile piece of field artillery.

When nearing enemy bases or bridges slow down a bit and watch for mines. You'll actually be able to see them and a couple of 75mm rounds will destroy them. This is very important as a single mine will remove 75% of your armor. Two mines are of course deadly.

If you choose to pilot a Lightning I highly recommend you get an Engineering Cert to go along with it. The ability to repair your vehicle will keep you in the fight for very long periods of time. I usually engage the enemy until I'm around 50% armor and then I pull back to a safe spot jump out and repair. Actually any time you get the chance, repair your vehicle as fast as you can.

Another thing that will improve your chances is to immediatelly reload when not actually firing. Even if you've only used 3 rounds it is better to replace them and have them in the magazine than come up against a MAX and not have them. Those few seconds it takes to reload can mean the difference between life or death. This philosophy should be applied to any weapon you carry, but I can't tell you how many times it has saved my butt in the Lightning.

Reavers and Phoenix users are probably the greatest threats to a Lightning. Reavers can be shot down using the cannon, but it takes a lot of practice and deaths to get good at it. Phoenix missile users are pretty tricky. The best defense is to keep moving and try to use terrain to block their line of sight. If you watch the minimap you'll see where the missiles are coming from and can choose to avoid that area or sneak in and take the guy out if possible. Also, anyone carrying rocklets can be deadly when up close so take care when moving in to close contact.

I've found that the Lightning does better when fighting on lush or icy continents. These continents offer more cover in the way of forests than the desert ones. My survival rate drops significantly when fighting in the desert.

Fighting alone without support is also something I would try to avoid. I usually get owned quickly every time I've tried this. It's too easy for a small group of enemy to lay down enough firepower to take out a lone Lightning. It's better to have some friendlies near by to distract some of that fire.

Move. Move. Move. I can't say it enough. Keep moving and try to avoid terrain that will slow you down when in close proximity to the enemy. Repair and reload your magazine often and every chance you get. Those simple tactics will keep a Lightning going for a long time.

I hope this inspires a few people to give the Lightning a try. It's a lot of fun and can be a real problem for the enemy when driven by someone who knows its strengths and weaknesses.

Once I get more comfortable with it I think I'll try starting up an all Lightning squad. I think we'd be pretty deadly in the field by ourselves and with a full squad you could easily dismount and secure a base if needed and in combination with other squads we'd be a great support unit. A highly mobile squad with everyone in Lightnings would be a force to reckon with. I can see jaws dropping as 10 Lightnings come charging over a hill with all 10 cannons spitting out 75mm rounds as fast as they can, barrelling into the enemy ranks squashing bodies under their treads, spewing 20mm rounds into the corpses.

Well, I can dream anyway.

Strygun · 2003-05-30, 01:40 PM

Wow, that was actually one of the few posts here I have enjoyed reading.

Thanks!

Hamma · 2003-05-30, 01:42 PM

Nice post!

Yogi · 2003-05-30, 01:47 PM

My problem with the lightning is the NC tank (can't think of the name right now) can kill it in one shot :\

Hamma · 2003-05-30, 01:48 PM

ahh the trusty Vangard, that thing is indeed a beast.

MrVulcan · 2003-05-30, 02:02 PM

very nice post BTW,

yep Hamma, I dont think I have seen an NC lightning in a very long time

but it can be very fun, esp since you dont need to rely on a gunner.

I would think about gatting a Vanguard, etc, but ill take my skeeter over anything else any day

gonnagetyou · 2003-05-30, 02:04 PM

Yea, my suggestion for engaging Vangaurds would be from a distance. We're talking very far away.

The Vanguard and Sunderer cannons deal out massive damage and a Lightning just can't take that kind of punishment. Scoot and shoot is your only chance.

wasupx · 2003-05-30, 03:18 PM

main problem i see with the lightning is not being able to shoot reliably without moving towards your target. Seems like the best maneuver for engaging a deadly target without running away is a figure S zigzag type deal? Still the ability to pull off such a maneuver takes too much skill to be effective

i think they really need to up the rotation of the weapons.

MrVulcan · 2003-05-30, 03:37 PM

yep, if they bump up the rotation to about 45 degrees (ok the tank dosnt look like it makes sence I know) then I think that it would be a much better vech

MightyMule · 2003-05-30, 04:07 PM

I can't stress enough that in order to be an effective Lightning driver you need an Eng cert.
The armour is too weak to take more than a few blows (as mentioned above) and the second you see "Warning: Missle lock" then get the hell out of there.

For taking out reavers I find the lightning is fairly effective. The 75mm cannon has a fast enough fire rate so that when you catch a reaver hovering and about to unleash its missles you can take it out or scare it away before it unleashes a salvo of rockets at you.

For taking out Maxs I find the lightning works great on TR but not so much Vanu. Its hard to take on a jumping VS Max because of the limited rotation of the lightning but when a TR max chains himself to the ground he stands no chance.
I am NC myself so wouldn't know about taking them on

I actually find Infantry more challenging than MAX's because of the speed that infantry can skitter around to the flank of the lightning. It find its best to keep your distance from infantry and take them out via splash damage.

During those big base battles when an enemy starts to drive an AMS in but gets spotted and starts to drive away.....the lightning can keep up no problem and destroy it or keep it from deploying.

When taking on other tanks though the Lightning does not stack up. I will not take any heavy tank or heavy buggy on alone in a lightning.

I think its great for a one man tank. As NC i have access to the Vanguard but when playing at 5am in the morning it is sometimes hard to find a good gunner. On the continents with more difficult terrain(Ceryshen, Searhus) the Lightning has the advantage over the Vanguard because it can get up more hills and cover those long distances quicker.

Anyway those are just a few random thoughts.
I really like the lightning and I wish I saw it in use more for the NC, the tyrannic TR, and the crazy VS

�io · 2003-05-30, 04:18 PM

I loooove the lightning but the (too) thin armor + lag + WAY too many reavers = me gave up on it, or at least until they either up the armor on it a bit or finally realize the reavers are overpowered.

Till then i switched to Skeeter. Lag is still my number 1 enemy but reavers are much less of a problem.

MightyMule · 2003-05-30, 04:23 PM

Lag is why I use 75mm over 20mm machine gun.

With the lag there is a greater chance of hitting with the 75mm (via splash damage) than with the 20mm machine gun.

If the game was lag free the 20mm gun would be much more useful for myself but hitting running targets while lagging with the 20mm just doesn't work.

�io · 2003-05-30, 04:29 PM

Yeah but i get hardware lag, or if you prefer "GOD DAMMMIT I NEED SOME FUCKIGN RAM, THIS THING TAKES FOREVER TO LOAD!!!! " so no matter what i do if i'm near a big fight (which happens A LOT with the lattice system) i'll miss no matter what gun i use for the first 10 secs or so while it loads all the shit.

JuSTCHiLLiN · 2003-05-30, 04:47 PM

Got any tips for Lightning drivers?

Ya, trade in your lightning certs and get something useful.

Driving an ams I fear baskilisks (sp?) more than lightnings. I just hop out and put a few rr rounds into them and kablooy! At least the baskilisks can get away.

That's actually a good point for anyone if a lightning is chasing you while your driving an ams or ant. Just have a rr or decimator equipped, stop and get out. The lightning can either face you and try to fire at you while it eats rockets or turn and flee with it's guns facing another direction.

It pisses me off that a flying vehicle can take more damage than a tank. Does that make sense to anyone?

Chryse · 2003-05-30, 04:48 PM

I spent a good amount of time in beta as a Lightning driver so I agree the first post is dead on right, and well written. Good job.

My suggestion to anyone new who wants to drive a tank for sheer power, go with the main battle tanks (Prowler, Vanguard, Magrider). If speed and agility is more your thing, the Lightning is fun and you don't need a gunner.

The best use of the Lightning is as a fast recon vehicle and as a AMS/ANT hunter and, to a lesser extent, as a small self-propelled artillery piece.