A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

[JimmyNoobtron]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

I spend a lot of time reading this and a couple of other BF2 forums. I am slowly absorbing all of the info discussed. But holy hell, there is a TON of things to learn with this game! I'll read something and think, "Ok, good tip." But then by the time I get into the game hours later, I forget it. So be patient guys. Us noobs are trying but we have varying degrees of attention and time we can spend on a game.

[Seal]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

Rally good post, i have to say. A must read!

[3rd ID Crow]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

Very accurate and funny and you're clearly not a control freak, just someone with some nOOb frustration.

I can appreciate your comments because I have likely only flown with say 6 pilots who I would honestly consider better than me.... but I'll plant my butt in the gunner seat if the other guy is at least 'pretty darn good.'

The gunner is the hero, spotting bad guys, TV missiles, and the chain gun in some cases. I'll do better for myself and the team if the pilot can just keep us low [or high when needed], alive and top'd off versus me being the 'super star' getting us back to the pad for some health all the time because of everything you just talked about. Can't wait for Re-supply to show in the mini-map as well.

Anyone who wants to get good at gunning will be 3 times better just by reading your post. The practice stuff don't hurt either w/ the missiles - huge improvements in a control'd environment.

If I'm the second one in a chopper, I just bail out if the first thing the pilot does is gain as much altitude as he can so he can start chasing jets.

Good job.

[JimmyNoobtron]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

This has probably been mentioned before but I couldn't locate it in search mode. How does one go about practicing being a gunner? If you don't have any friends that play? I keep hearing, "If you don't know what you are doing, don't get in the gunner's seat." But how will I ever know what I'm doing if I don't? As far as I know, I can't practice gunning in single player. Any help is appreciated.

[YelloPL]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

This has probably been mentioned before but I couldn't locate it in search mode. How does one go about practicing being a gunner? If you don't have any friends that play? I keep hearing, "If you don't know what you are doing, don't get in the gunner's seat." But how will I ever know what I'm doing if I don't? As far as I know, I can't practice gunning in single player. Any help is appreciated.

You can practice in SP, but it may be hard, as the AI pilots are dumb. I suggest you chose the highest difficulty, launch SP and jump into the gunner's seat. It's likely that some bot will become a pilot. I did it a couple of times to learn the basics of the TV guided babes, but it's frustrating due to the above mentioned reason.

Basically to make a long story short - think twice before you use your gun, the rest comes with practice. I am ok if my gunner misses something with the TV missle - it happens, but if I am trying to sneak upon another heli and he opens fire with the cannon from afar - then I'm ****ed and langry at you.

[FLYWAYchat]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

You can practice in SP, but it may be hard, as the AI pilots are dumb. I suggest you chose the highest difficulty, launch SP and jump into the gunner's seat. It's likely that some bot will become a pilot. I did it a couple of times to learn the basics of the TV guided babes, but it's frustrating due to the above mentioned reason.

Actually I find pretty easy to practice the gunnery in any chope, I do just as u said, but if I see the pilot is not doing well, I press F1 and change seats and get us in safe, then switch to gunner again....

[FiveString]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

Strega, good post, funny and informative. By the way I think I was your gunner a few days ago.....you must be pretty pi***d at me......

[Strega]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

This has probably been mentioned before but I couldn't locate it in search mode. How does one go about practicing being a gunner? If you don't have any friends that play? I keep hearing, "If you don't know what you are doing, don't get in the gunner's seat." But how will I ever know what I'm doing if I don't? As far as I know, I can't practice gunning in single player. Any help is appreciated.

Like I said in my post, as long as you are doing the right things, I don't care if you hit anything. If you are trying, and miss, that's fine, no big deal. But if you aren't following the simple 'guidlines' I have set forth, you're not gonna be a good gunner. My 'guidelines' are just very simple things that will separate you from the rest of the gunners out there. Go practice on a live server, just keep in mind the simple tips in my post. :)

[3rd ID Crow]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

The practice bit was a reference to playing as a LAN game alone on your computer.

Load a map, grab a chopper, go land on a building or rise where your missiles will clear. hop in the gunners seat and pick targets off center at a distance [tree, tank, building] and get familiar/ good at launching and steering. If you have a spot that is also a resupply then all the better; unlimited missiles. The middle chopper pad on Kubra comes to mind aiming toward the MEC airfield or a side canyon wall.

A simpler way than a LAN is to sort live servers by # of players and join a player w/ no one in it and start tinkering.

[KFCazure]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

Good post, strega, thanks. I learned some new stuff. Now only if I could find some competent pilots more often...

[Strega]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

Good post, strega, thanks. I learned some new stuff. Now only if I could find some competent pilots more often...

Stregalicious on XFire, look me up.

Usually on between 3-10pm Pacific Time. Not continously, but that's when I'm awake =P

[SuperScythe]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

Great post Strega! Love the humour! Can anyone post the link to the pics of the pilots view & the gunners view in TV mode? That was a great help

[Strega]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

*bump*

For those that still need help :)

[imported_xRandoMx]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

All good info, and I think it points out what quite a few people haven't grasped: The gunner is the "star", the pilot is just there to get him to the show and back, preferably in one piece.

People who can pilot? A dime a dozen. People who can gun? Rarer then hens' teeth, imho.

The most important thing you can do if you're serious about it is find somebody else who is serious about it, setup your voicecomm and start playing together regularly.

Nothing is worse than setting somebody up for a tv missile vs. the enemy helo... and then that goober just sitting there playing with himself... and then you see the enemy tv missile come at you. Jink right or left, but odds are pretty good you just lost the fight, and all because your gunner has no clue.

I consider myself a pilot, but my best round, and most enjoyable round was as a gunner on Sharqi. We went the entire round without getting shot down, shot out, or crashing. Ended up getting a 35 kill streak(only 77 points, though, but we won the round quickly and easily and that is all that matters in the end) and an advanced badge. Pull something like that off and you understand why we play this game hours a day, day after day.

Oh, and once you've got the tv missile down pat, being a gunner is like having the finger of death at your disposal. If you can see it in camera view, you can kill it. Took out a jet this weekend after he strafed us from behind. The tv missile was just barely faster than him, sent it right up his exhaust, LOL.

[L33tP1ckL]

Re: A Chopper Pilot’s Guide to being a good gunner

Strega, I really got a lot out of this thorough, informative post. It was well written and rather humorous (which furthered its readability).

Thanx, appreciated.