No Fly Zone Vehicle

[Blu C]

A tip i got and that works great: Don't rely exclusively on the radar - continually scan the sky sector by sector using zoom (first sector, quickly zoom in, zoom out, next sector, ... etc.).

This is very good advice if you are going AA.

Also a lot of fighters will 'ping' their radar on to help orient themselves on a target.  Keep an eye on your radar for the brief window of being shown where they are, spin the turret to their direction.  When you are aimed in roughly the proper direction zoom in.  AA tanks can zoom in quite a bit and you will find you can see the fighter zoomed in when you wouldn't be able to otherwise.

Another thing to keep in mind is watch which direction the fighter's went when they broke contact with you last.  Many of the pilots on here tend to attack from roughly the same direction within about a 60 degree wedge or so -- but there are some who will swing around and try coming from a completely different direction so don't rely on it too much.

[Taemien]

Can we get a update that doubles the radius of Firebombs? Like 0.4.5 then change it back in 0.4.6 (maybe like a day later).

I just want to see how many whine threads pop up. 

[[IPA] Bravo Cadett]

Can we get a update that doubles the radius of Firebombs? Like 0.4.5 then change it back in 0.4.6 (maybe like a day later).

I just want to see how many whine threads pop up. 

or how some pissed of admins change the server settings to "no air"

[Profane Arbiter]

A tip i got and that works great: Don't rely exclusively on the radar - continually scan the sky sector by sector using zoom (first sector, quickly zoom in, zoom out, next sector, ... etc.).

If the max speed of your vehicle is 65 kph or less, fore knowledge of a firebomber just allows you a front row seat to the destruction of your vehicle. No amount of changing direction will save you from at least significant damage if not outright destruction, and odds are the plane will either be coming in at an angle outside of a non-AA vehicles cone of fire. Even when you can target them, a Shiva will often survive your attempts to save yourself by shooting at it on its attack run, and blow you up anyway.

[Cygma]

Zephoid was talking about countering the Shiva C from a Huit Prime, which is sufficiently effective at that.

[~SJ~ Riker]

I want a 130,000 cbill AA vehicle that would make it literally suicidal for any pilot to try and bomb any vehicle or mech protected within this AA vehicle's threat envelope. It should be utterly brimming with UACs, ERLBLs, ATMs, and a ninja that lands on the shivas cockpit and teabags the pilot. 

+1

Giveth us the Bane(Kraken)

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Bane

[Come and See]

Zephoid was talking about countering the Shiva C from a Huit Prime, which is sufficiently effective at that.

The Huit Prime can basically ground any Shiva's out in the air esp. the close-range versions. They also seemed to have increased the range of AC-2's because I've been getting hit by them cruising at 1300-1500 above the ground.

The only counter to the Huit Prime is still the Shiva B though.

[Stahlseele]

The Bane would be my Plink of choice.
Right now, i can't handle AA, since Partisan and Huey Prime both tend to crash me <.<

[Come and See]

I'm not sure if anyone has actually tried this, but there's a MK-2 variant with 4 UAC-5's and 2 ATM-12's.

It is probably the best vehicle for AA in the whole game. Just the ATMs are enough to cripple anything that flies.

[Profane Arbiter]

I'm not sure if anyone has actually tried this, but there's a MK-2 variant with 4 UAC-5's and 2 ATM-12's.

It is probably the best vehicle for AA in the whole game. Just the ATMs are enough to cripple anything that flies.

You're referring to "Seige Engine"...they're ATM9's, and they are decent at AA but again, I wouldn't want to be in it if a reasonably good Shiva pilot was in the air and gunning for me. He'd just come in at a steep angle radar off and I'd neither be able to attack him nor get out of the way fast enough. That mk2 does a decent job of supporting others being attacked by planes however. Still, more often than not the plane is just scared off before destroying it.

I think the key factor in all this is fun.

- the plane pilot can attack anything, and if the pilot dies, he gets back into a plane and zooms quickly back into battle

- the heavy tank or assault mech may not be able to attack planes, and if they're destroyed or heavily damaged, it takes a long time to get back into the action

The battle is the fun part, not the trip into the field. Slow vehicles who are constantly forced to make these trips without getting into action because of these aerojocks genuinely feel like they're being griefed on.

So, lets say planes were changed to merely do support damage rather than dropping the wrath of god on ground units...would that really make them less fun to fly? They still can enjoy constant action, something that ground units will never be able to say.

The action is what's fun.

[~SJ~ Riker]

I think the changes they are planning to the banking structure will help this a lot. What I mean is the pinnicale Aero unit is the FBomb Shiva. It cost the most of them all. So I would be very ok with leaving something like that in if it's something you have to actually work towards instead of "oh pease pease gives meh creds so I cans rain" the way it is now. I mean if you work yourself up to 130k and are able to buy it then fine by be. Good work.
 

[Come and See]

I think the changes they are planning to the banking structure will help this a lot. What I mean is the pinnicale Aero unit is the FBomb Shiva. It cost the most of them all. So I would be very ok with leaving something like that in if it's something you have to actually work towards instead of "oh pease pease gives meh creds so I cans rain" the way it is now. I mean if you work yourself up to 130k and are able to buy it then fine by be. Good work.

Well in my personal opinion the fact that it costs 130k shouldn't be a valid reason why it can basically gib everything in it's path. That and I don't like the Shiva's armor being balanced around the F-bomb and LRM variants. Kind of frustrating flying around in the LBX or Hgauss one's and having to go back and repair every 5s cause of a Huit black barring you in seconds.

[~SJ~ Riker]

Oh yes yes... I have taken to flying over the last two weeks and I feel your "Huit" pain. To the point that I don't even like getting in Shivas at all. I stay in Sulla's mostly. Why?
Faster
Sleeker
and if you do get shot down the reward to the other team is less than what they would of got if they killed an Osiris.

[[CW]Outlaw]

Honestly, I would love to see the F-Bomb variants removed, and see some better "conventional" layouts added, ones that are great ground attackers. After this removal i would also like to see the Huitz Prime re-made so that it doesnt put a no-fly zone over half the bloody map. And finally i would like to see some of the already decent Interceptor variants for the Sparrowhawk and Sulla improved so it doesnt take 5 min (the fact an AA units can drop a bloody fighter faster than an interceptor can is silly to me) of sustained hits on target to bring it down.

[Come and See]

Oh yes yes... I have taken to flying over the last two weeks and I feel your "Huit" pain. To the point that I don't even like getting in Shivas at all. I stay in Sulla's mostly. Why?
Faster
Sleeker
and if you do get shot down the reward to the other team is less than what they would of got if they killed an Osiris.

That was the problem I had in 0.3 with the Shiva. The Sulla was in most regards superior in every category. Speed, damage, and survivability. The only difference I've seen in 0.4 are a lot less Huit's and people running around with dual LBX mech's mainly because of the changes to the ranking system which made them harder to get.

Yet, all it takes it one Huit to put a brawler Shiva on it's knees and you eventually have to give up and hop in the LRM variant. It's even more fun with the LBX Shiva's because the duels are basically whoever lines up sights first and pulls the trigger cause you kill each other in one volley.