All Air battles? or is land just as valid.

asdar

I think I've convinced a half dozen people to play this game when it comes out, but every single one of them wants to be a pilot.

Watching the video it looks like you'd be stupid to do anything on the ground, except maybe defend a base.

Tanks got destroyed, people that were fighting got destroyed I didn't see anything but planes getting kills anywhere, but in the base.

That might be a good thing, I like the look of air battles, but I hope that tanks vs planes or players vs planes is still possible.

dubyahite

Oh there's plenty of anti air in the game. There are MAX loadouts and vehicles specifically designed to shoot you down

If I remember the video correctly, he didn't really come up against any opposition when he was flying. In a real fight there will be more opposition in the skies.


It is definitely not stupid to be on the ground. It's as important as controlling the sky.

The cool thing about planetside is the dynamic nature ofthe battles. If you go in with air vehicles against a force that isn't defending against air, they will get pissed and start pulling air and anti-air. AA max suits and vehicles can wreck a good air assualt.

Ebonheart

Keep in mind that Higby was using an aircraft fitted for destroying tanks. (NC Reaver + Rockets)

Also, there were nothing but tanks on the ground shooting at other tanks/light infantry for the sake of the video.

Most of those tanks weren't even moving and it took the whole salvo of rockets to take them out.

 

In other videos they have stated that tanks can be fitted with AA guns (most had chainguns for AA in PS1).

 

Aside ffrom tanks, there are several things that are purely AA focused.

1. Anti-air MAX units (Flak Rounds/Missle Lock/etc.)

2. Nevermind - Skyguards have been replaced by #3

3. Lightning (Single man tank that can be fitted with flak rounds for AA)

4. Base Turrets (Pretty much Anti-everything in PS1, probably the same in PS2)

5. Infantry w/AA rockets

6. Other Aircraft that are fitted as interceptors (Air to Air)

7. Anything else with Anti-armor weapons that knows how to aim

 

I have a feeling that most players will do the same thing as your friends and try to focus on flying.

Once people figure out they aren't in god-mode most will switch to something else, some will whine about it on the forums, and a few will keep flying.

In PS1 when you flew over a base all gung ho like Top Gun all you would hear was *Missle Lock* x 100 and continuous beeping. Then a few seconds later you would explode as all the missles caught up with you.

Planes are great and all, but you can't capture a base with nothing but mosquitos and liberators.

ellobo29

There will be entire guilds of players that simply just roll with anti aircraft weapons. Thats there focus.... shoot anything that flys. So yes land is just as valid.

Clearly you and your friends have never played PS1 but good land troops know too keep an eye on the skys and always move near cover.

Gunships maybe fast and have alot of fire power, but one or two heat seeking rockets and ur done. Tanks can take a pummeling. In my Magrider back in the day i was pro at sniping ships out of the sky.

NasherUK

I don't think infantry can be as kitted out as much as they were in PS1 though.  They already said you can't carry a weapon for everything like you could in PS1, because it made infantry to powerful and lighter vehicles/MAX units to weak (which it did).  You will need a squad of mixed abilities and load out.

Because of that I think vehicles will get an easier time in PS2, but no where near as easy as they did in the previews. But also vehicles can't fit inside a lot of the bases on PS2, so they have to stop outside while infantry go in.

novacane111

It's really hard to tell how much of an impact aircraft will actually have verses ground units since the AoE AA doesn't seem to be working yet as of the most recent videos and the AA missiles look to have a hard time locking on and hitting their target with any affect. It will probabbly play out a lot like PS1 but you will be able to strengthen a particular area in your aircrafts role (and perhaps weaken at the same time another).

skyexile

Aircraft was the transport of choice for most elitist outfits in PS1 because of how fast they travelled, they were also very effective solo, all thats looking to be the same in PS2. Most people intrested in PS2 ATM are PS1 players, and they know this.