Air to Ground to Air ranges ?

[markan dorka]

I'm just wondering how people feel about this.

I personally find it a bit annoying that you get TVGM:d outside the lock range, and to lesser extent, shot with aircraft cannons before you even get a chance for a lock. It still takes about 2 seconds to achieve a lock after it starts tracking, and during that time, you're pretty much dead anyway vs. a chopper or a strafing aircraft. Mobile AA can somewhat work around this by using terrain/structures to block incoming shots though, but somehow this feels a bit lacking, and in many maps, it's just not feasible.

To me, it kinda feels rather awkward to not be able to engage a target you see when that target can engage you - especially when you're using a tool that's meant to engage those targets. I actually find AA fine apart from this

Try to keep flaming in lines of "nerf jets !" vs. "stfu nub" to minimum (I don't even imagine that it could be kept at 0 though, but at least I tried )

[DesertFalcon]

Re: Air to Ground to Air ranges ?

I acctualy think it is fine the way it is if you are on the look out and see the missle coming in most cases you have time to dismount and run away. you should never be on an AA gun unless you hear a chopper or know a jet or chopper will pass by you soon unless its an eseex. being on an AA gun gives choppers and idea where you could be and jets the square that helps them with bombing.

[LuckySeven]

Re: Air to Ground to Air ranges ?

Fine, but AA range could be longer. At least AA vehicles should be feared, now they're pretty much helpless against bombers.

[Dairuka]

Re: Air to Ground to Air ranges ?

Mobile Anti-Aircraft lock range is about 500m. I guarantee I've locked onto and killed jets and helicopters that I've never even seen on Daqing Oilfields. The visual range on Daqing Oilfields is about 350m. (If that... horrible visual range on this stage.)

IGLA/Stinger's lock ranges seem to be at about 500m. On Dalian Plant with a visual range of about 550m-600m, you have to wait a couple seconds for the jets/helicopters to come close enough for a lock.

TV guided missles have a range of about 400m. So if they shot you well out of visual range, that means you were UAV'ed/Spotted, and they were smart enough to avoid your visual sight. (Meaning you could've easily locked onto them, but that would require you first putting them in your sights first. They don't have to be in your visual range, but you do have to be looking in their direction.)

[LuckySeven]

Re: Air to Ground to Air ranges ?

All AA missiles in BF2 seem to have similar specs, vehicles, stationary, seasparrow, all. Lock range is 450m and time 0.7s.

It's ok, but for example in Daqing a jet can kill an AA vehicle without any difficulty if he knows where it is. 0.7s lock delay means you're dead by the time you could shoot, even if you know where it's coming from. Maverick has lock range of 375 meters with 1 sec lock delay. In numbers those seem ok, but in practice they could need a little tweaking, but just a little.

[markan dorka]

Re: Air to Ground to Air ranges ?

Since so many gave 400+ m ranges for missiles, I went through the .tweak files .. and it DOES say that max distance for stingers is 450m. Problem is, I have no clue which variable tells the range where locking starts (not the missile locking, but vehicle/AA site). Range indicator stops at 300m, it's probably bit more than that (since it doesn't instantly stop at 300), but 450 sounds too much, that'd be 50% more than 300m where the counting stops.

Now, if anybody knows better than me, do tell if missiles gain lock independently if dumbfired ? If so, then it's OK, though there really should be some sort of visual clue that they do that. TVGM says that it has TTL of 3.5 and speed 125, which should give it 437.5 max range.

I'll test it some more, see if I can shoot down some stuff that I don't get lock at.. and check out way the locking is formed in say, zatar, where there's lockable static heat sources (and you can confirm the range by giving say, advance command to that spot).

Mobile Anti-Aircraft lock range is about 500m. I guarantee I've locked onto and killed jets and helicopters that I've never even seen on Daqing Oilfields. The visual range on Daqing Oilfields is about 350m. (If that... horrible visual range on this stage.)

This kinda puzzles me, since I've often shot the gun at choppers/planes I've visually seen, but the locking doesn't start until they're closer.

I acctualy think it is fine the way it is if you are on the look out and see the missle coming in most cases you have time to dismount and run away. you should never be on an AA gun unless you hear a chopper or know a jet or chopper will pass by you soon unless its an eseex. being on an AA gun gives choppers and idea where you could be and jets the square that helps them with bombing.

This I sort of agree with, when it comes to static sites. However, when it comes to mobile AA:s, having to constantly bail (often leaving you stranded possibly in middle of nowhere) isn't good gameplay in my opinion :P

[Toxitron]

Re: Air to Ground to Air ranges ?

the AA cannon needs to actually do significant damage. the missiles do good damage but the bradley just shoots little pieces of coal.

also, 2 stingers should blow ANYTHING in the air. instant death on 2nd shot