ASF did have it a bit easy in 4.9. A bit of a nerf was warranted. I haven't played 0.5 enough to get a sense of the new balance.
I'm not going to get into the brawl over ASF this early. It is what it is, for now. Pilots will adjust, etc. But, I will comment on the above. A "nerf" (classic sense) was not "warranted". Every vet player adjusted to combined arms just fine. Every game I was in with vet players in the last many weeks in previous release was not "easy" - Shiva-E notwithstanding. In fact, many very good games highlighted successful use and counters of all aspects of the mod, many of which tactics continue in this new version.
Yes, there are legitimate questions about certain aspects. I don't find anything "game-breaking" though. I might personally be less inclined to use air in certain situations than I was previously, but it is just one tool in the shed. If I don't feel I'm being impactful, I'll just switch to another asset.
Devs can take the raw feedback in context... We knew there was going to be some swinging of the balance pendulum, even though, as I note above, vet players had adjusted strategies quite well and no handicapping was "deserved". We'll see how things shake out. Devs have shown they can adjust with fixes if it's not working as they planned.
Tax: Yes, the SH is way too twitchy. That's my biggest gripe with it - both flying in it or against it.
You bring up a good point, assuming I've understood your post in the right context.
ASF balance is a constant adjustment, and personally I can't help but feel we usually end up as the whipping boys of the assets.
0.1 was the only instance I can recall that ASF was actually overpowered. The TBolt Sulla was pretty brutal against...everything. This however, was the only time I really feel ASF balance needed some tweaking.
0.2 was the complete opposite. The nerf against ASF and VTOLs was so extreme, they were pretty much like flying paper mache through the air. Sometimes it would seem you just spontaneously combust, only to realize an AA tank peppered you from across the map. Likewise, those of us who really enjoyed the flying things, learned to adapt and overcome this issue. Most often I feel those of us who land shark the ASFs, are former 0.2 era flyers.
0.3 had it pretty close to perfect. The armor for the VTOL seemed to be the biggest issue, which got fixed mid-way through 0.4
0.4.9 seemed absolutely perfect for me. I could do well in a game if I focused on being evasive, using cover, and not going after AA head on. This version also showcased the better ASF pilots, because newer pilots didn't survive long.
0.5 right now is quite frustrating. AA is much more deadly now, which effectively renders the 5 second tactic almost useless, and that brings me to my main gripe.
Those of us who enjoy flying, are willing to adapt to changes, and for those of us who fly often, the adaption period is relatively fast. The issue I'm getting tired of, is getting nerfed more and more, and at the rate we're heading at, eventually only the very top pilots will be able to survive, and even then, it would be a game focusing on extremely precise maneuvering and aim.
My question is, when those of us who fly, adapt and start getting kills in this new version, how long until we see the ASF rage threads? Will the next updates or versions nerf us further?
The pattern I see going on regarding ASF pilots with each new version:
Suck>>>Good>>>Proficient
The pattern I see among the community in response to ASF changes in each new version:
Content>>>Equal>>>Rage Thread>>>Nerf
So while those of us who fly are initially struggling with these new changes, eventually we're going to find a way to survive and do damage. We've done it every version, and unfortunately, I see it the same here. We're getting the hang of things now, and down the road when we get proficient at it, we'll start seeing the rage threads.
To be quite honest I was not expected lower armor values, and more damaging AA with this version, because in 0.4.9 AA was already extremely deadly. We just learned how to survive with it, and that's when we started seeing my favorite threads, the ones calling for more damaging weapons to use against pro ASF pilots.
It's like if somebody intentionally masters the Uziel, because its their favorite mech, despite the lower armor and big target it presents. If that pilot gets proficient enough to start racking up kills, and learning how to survive, I doubt you'd see a rage thread.
Then you have ASF, where it doesn't matter how weak they initially are. As soon as we get good at them, we see rage threads, talking about how it isn't our skill, but that they're overpowered. Towards the end of the 0.2 era, which was when ASF was at its weakest, a lot of us we're actually doing well, having learned to deal with weaker armor by adjusting our tactics. How did that play out? People were pleading to the devs to make ASF weaker for 0.3.
So I don't know about the rest of the flyers here, but I'm pretty sick of getting good at something, getting handicapped further, and then repeating this same cycle nearly every version.
When will the community realize that we will adjust to each change anyway, because we love to fly?
Really, i dont mind the AA buffs. If ASF are going to be more of an annoyance rather than a tactical asset, then i dont mind them being relegated to rarely seen.
This is the attitude I see community wide. We're nothing more than an annoyance to them, and therefore deserve to be nerfed until eventually we stop taking them.
I guess there's only one thing to do...
...race to see who inspires the first ASF rage thread of 0.5! Get flying!
