Starting to reconsider my position on air power...

[puglous]

I know I have been a leading voice against air power in this game, and I'm not saying I've changed my mind, but something happened on Wake Island today that made me reconsider this.

There was a very annoying duo in the helicopter that was really smacking our team around. One of the members, named "=US= Shadow" or something like that, who was the gunner, had a 65:3 (yes, you read right) ratio by the end of the round. You're probably thinking "So now he's reconsidering if airpower is a balance flaw in this game, is he insane?" BUT, here's the important part. Their team LOST. After a horrible struggle we finally managed to take all the bases (we were Americans). The heli duo left their chopper to cap some flags and were killed shortly afterwards. Though by the end of the match no one on our team had a positive kill/death ratio, they still won.

Now, here are some things to consider:
-They never tried to cap a flag, even though helis are as if not more able to do this than a tank or any other vehicle built to slaughter.
-Even before that insident we were still constantly beating their team.

But, does say something about jets, who accomplish 50:1 k/d ratios easily but are foolish to attempt capping flags?

And even if this doesn't show any proof airpower isn't an imbalance, does this show how a kill whore can be worthless to his team?

Discuss.

[Sllutmonkey69]

Re: Starting to reconsider my position on air power...

YYou are wrong. Kills drop your teams ticket ratio. Nuff said.

[puglous]

Re: Starting to reconsider my position on air power...

Yes, it does, but capping all the flags disables the other team from spawning all toghether. I guess "worthless" was the wrong word. A better word choice would have been "not the worth the points they earn".

[Harmor]

Re: Starting to reconsider my position on air power...

There was a very annoying duo in the helicopter that was really smacking our team around. One of the members, named "=US= Shadow" or something like that, who was the gunner, had a 65:3 (yes, you read right) ratio by the end of the round.

Only the best helicopter crews where the pilot doesn't continually strafe will get this kills. I figure the pilot lined him up for TV shots instead of buzzing them with his rockets or circled a base so he could gun all the infantry and soft targets. This is RARE to find in pub since most pilots will want to get their own kills with their rockets when infact they should only backup the TV missile on hard targets and juke in the air all other times giving a semi-stable platform for the gunner.

-They never tried to cap a flag, even though helis are as if not more able to do this than a tank or any other vehicle built to slaughter.

Because of the new rules for capping a flag someone will respawn before they capture a flag since only the pilot counts. If the gunner gets out to capture the flag they are very vunerable...so instead of getting 4/2 points for capturing a flag they just kill 2/4 more people in the 30/15 seconds it would take to capture a flag.

But, does say something about jets, who accomplish 50:1 k/d ratios easily but are foolish to attempt capping flags?

Getting a 50:1 K/D ratio on a jet requires alot of work. To do this you are probably the best pilot in the round, stole the enemy jets, or are just very good. I would say the average jet jocket has at least a 5:1 K/D with minimal practice.
Sounds like you guys didn't have a competent jet or helicopter crew on your team. The best way to fight an average jet pilot is with another jet. The best way to fight a very good helicopter crew is with a dedicated machinegun crew on the ground (usually HUMVEE/Vodiks in semi-covered locations).

And even if this doesn't show any proof airpower isn't an imbalance, does this show how a kill whore can be worthless to his team?

I think this only shows that the rest of their team

[puglous]

Re: Starting to reconsider my position on air power...

All valid points, and yes, a jet would have taken down those 2 in a flash because they spent most of their time hovering in one place, moving from base to base incase I decide to spawn somewhere else.

Considering how many times that heli killed me, I was owning their infantry.

[imported_Rafterman]

Re: Starting to reconsider my position on air power...

Well as the old adage says, "you have to have boots on the ground to win a war."

I've seen many fantastic pilots' teams lose the match. Besides, a good squad can ambush the hell out of a chopper -- a couple guys on .50s with a couple of anti-tanks and you can take them down almost instantly.

[glcm1961]

Re: Starting to reconsider my position on air power...

LOL. This is another reason I hate airpower. The flyboys will spend all their time either flying or waiting to fly so they can rack up 50/1 KD ratios while everyone else is slogging it out on the ground, and at the end of the game you find that their success often times has no correlation to the outcome of the game.

[Gope]

Re: Starting to reconsider my position on air power...

double post

[Gope]

Re: Starting to reconsider my position on air power...

except they may stop a squad from capping a flag? stop a tank 5 min befor it shoots you. i am a gunner in my choppers always unless some incompetent person gets into the piolet seat. i find a chopper with a person using TV guids for good, (not on foot units) will be as much as a problem to the enimie as a dedicated squad.

and who sais a chopper cant DEFEND a flag, they would probably do a better job doing that then a squad.
srry for sorry for spelling, its about -3C at my house my fingers are cold

[iddqd]

Re: Starting to reconsider my position on air power...

Choppers are mainly good at taking out enemy vehicles (especially armor) and other choppers. Well, unless you are lucky and get the MEC chopper, that one rapes infantry as well... the gun on it is just insane!

Either way, I wouldn't even try capping a flag in a shopper now; waste of time. Assisting a cap, maybe, defending - definetly, but capping is just a waste of time that could be better spent hunting for armor.

[puglous]

Re: Starting to reconsider my position on air power...

Choppers are mainly good at taking out enemy vehicles (especially armor) and other choppers.

If you were in that game you'd feel differently.