Post by herrick on Feb 8, 2013 15:33:06 GMT -5
So, since this forum is empty and I can't really concentrate enough to play, let's talk about Reaver piloting.
I've found the following youtube user extremely helpful:
www.youtube.com/user/blood60ft6in
He gives a good enough description of the basics.
I would also recommend reading these wikipedia articles:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_air_control
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_fighter_maneuvers
The three main ways in which planetside is not reality (for flying):
(1) you fly at 200 km/h. most real aircraft cruise at about 1000 km/h and dogfight at roughly 500 km/h. This means that everything is far, far slower in planetside and consequently you generally have much more time to deal with problems. It also means you can't save yourself with a single well placed manoeuvre, as you can in reality.
(2) you don't instantly die. Most of modern warfare involves surprising the other person (usually with a roadside bomb). Almost all real weapons are designed to kill their target in one shot. This means that in planetside there's much less emphasis on intelligence, preparation and surprise, and more emphasis on split-second decisions. The achievements of an individual are emphasised much more in planetside than in reality.
(3) you have a 1km flight ceiling. this means that ground-based AA matters. In reality, ground-based AA is usually wiped out by cruise missiles long before anyone flies anywhere near it. Most real aircraft cruise at around 9 km altitude.
Now, a little personal opinion:
For Reavers, get the dogfighting airframe, composite armour and flares. I don't really feel that any of the other options are as good. Also, get the Vortek rotary and rocket pods. A2A missiles will guarantee that you'll win most air to air engagements, but it's much easier to hit targets on the ground with rockets than with the rotary gun.
Sod's law dictates that if you fit A2A missiles, you will find that the enemy is mostly in tanks, and even if there's lots of enemy air one minute, 60 seconds later there could be 4 allied AA MAXes and no enemy air. Tanks, on the other hand, tend to stay around much longer. If you fit rockets, you can still drill holes in enemy air with the rotary anyway.
Rockets are vastly more effective against tanks than against infantry. An entire rocket pod magazine, if all rockets hit, will completely destroy a heavy tank, and will do so faster than most things, possibly second only to anti-tank mines and possibly the liberator Dalton cannon. You *can* attack infantry with rockets, but it will take you 2-3 rockets *per soldier* to kill them, and the blast radius means you do need to hit them very accurately.
It is my personal opinion that when in a Reaver, your main task is to kill sunderers, and your secondary task is to kill tanks. Those two things are done extremely well by a Reaver, whereas Reavers can only kill infantry at about the same pace as a single Heavy infantryman.
In terms of manoeuvres, the split-S and immelman work very well as alternatives to the "circle of death" that normally happens in A2A combat. The immelman in particular is invaluable for A2G work, as it drastically reduces the time between strafing runs. I generally go into fights flying as close to the ground as possible, and I leave by flying as close to the ground as possible. This helps hide you from both air and ground units, and makes it easier to avoid A2A missiles. It also feel cooler. Barrel rolls get you shot down. Hovering gets you shot down. Turn by rolling and pitching. Only yaw (the A and D keys) when manoeuvring in safety, for example, to land.
Yes, the Reaver isn't quite as good as the Mosquito or the Scythe. However, the difference made by the dogfighting airframe is vastly, vastly greater than the difference between the empires. If you got out-turned by an enemy fighter, it's because they had more ranks in dogfighting airframe than you.
I haven't tried the air hammer, it's on my list of things to cert into one day. I'd love opinions from anyone who has.
I also want to achieve more air-ground integration, but I feel that that's largely down to reporting enemies on voice chat with sufficient detail on their location and getting shot down less.
There we are, now the forum is less empty!
I've found the following youtube user extremely helpful:
www.youtube.com/user/blood60ft6in
He gives a good enough description of the basics.
I would also recommend reading these wikipedia articles:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_air_control
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_fighter_maneuvers
The three main ways in which planetside is not reality (for flying):
(1) you fly at 200 km/h. most real aircraft cruise at about 1000 km/h and dogfight at roughly 500 km/h. This means that everything is far, far slower in planetside and consequently you generally have much more time to deal with problems. It also means you can't save yourself with a single well placed manoeuvre, as you can in reality.
(2) you don't instantly die. Most of modern warfare involves surprising the other person (usually with a roadside bomb). Almost all real weapons are designed to kill their target in one shot. This means that in planetside there's much less emphasis on intelligence, preparation and surprise, and more emphasis on split-second decisions. The achievements of an individual are emphasised much more in planetside than in reality.
(3) you have a 1km flight ceiling. this means that ground-based AA matters. In reality, ground-based AA is usually wiped out by cruise missiles long before anyone flies anywhere near it. Most real aircraft cruise at around 9 km altitude.
Now, a little personal opinion:
For Reavers, get the dogfighting airframe, composite armour and flares. I don't really feel that any of the other options are as good. Also, get the Vortek rotary and rocket pods. A2A missiles will guarantee that you'll win most air to air engagements, but it's much easier to hit targets on the ground with rockets than with the rotary gun.
Sod's law dictates that if you fit A2A missiles, you will find that the enemy is mostly in tanks, and even if there's lots of enemy air one minute, 60 seconds later there could be 4 allied AA MAXes and no enemy air. Tanks, on the other hand, tend to stay around much longer. If you fit rockets, you can still drill holes in enemy air with the rotary anyway.
Rockets are vastly more effective against tanks than against infantry. An entire rocket pod magazine, if all rockets hit, will completely destroy a heavy tank, and will do so faster than most things, possibly second only to anti-tank mines and possibly the liberator Dalton cannon. You *can* attack infantry with rockets, but it will take you 2-3 rockets *per soldier* to kill them, and the blast radius means you do need to hit them very accurately.
It is my personal opinion that when in a Reaver, your main task is to kill sunderers, and your secondary task is to kill tanks. Those two things are done extremely well by a Reaver, whereas Reavers can only kill infantry at about the same pace as a single Heavy infantryman.
In terms of manoeuvres, the split-S and immelman work very well as alternatives to the "circle of death" that normally happens in A2A combat. The immelman in particular is invaluable for A2G work, as it drastically reduces the time between strafing runs. I generally go into fights flying as close to the ground as possible, and I leave by flying as close to the ground as possible. This helps hide you from both air and ground units, and makes it easier to avoid A2A missiles. It also feel cooler. Barrel rolls get you shot down. Hovering gets you shot down. Turn by rolling and pitching. Only yaw (the A and D keys) when manoeuvring in safety, for example, to land.
Yes, the Reaver isn't quite as good as the Mosquito or the Scythe. However, the difference made by the dogfighting airframe is vastly, vastly greater than the difference between the empires. If you got out-turned by an enemy fighter, it's because they had more ranks in dogfighting airframe than you.
I haven't tried the air hammer, it's on my list of things to cert into one day. I'd love opinions from anyone who has.
I also want to achieve more air-ground integration, but I feel that that's largely down to reporting enemies on voice chat with sufficient detail on their location and getting shot down less.
There we are, now the forum is less empty!
which airframe do you recommend? I take it flares are mandatory and I think i'll go A2A for the pods.