I really like piloting. I got in a match today where these two dudes were just lighting up the other team with my rocket launchers. But every once in a while I would just get molested by swarm launchers and drop quicker than I could even activate my shield. Right now, there's no sound alert that someone has a swarm launcher locked on you, so your only alert is actually seeing the missiles flying towards you. I cannot for the life of me avoid them. Or if I do, they turn on a dime. Even navigating around a building doesn't really yield much protection. My two questions are:

1.) Any tips on what to do about swarm launchers instead of just crying OP?
2.) Are there going to be countermeasures (like flares from jets and helicopters in BF3) that will help you survive once the game is released?

fly in a orbit

If you're high, drop down and go under pipes if there are some nearby, by the time you reach them, the missiles WILL be high enough that they'll slam into the pipes instead of following you under.

If you're near ground level, go over obstacles and drop back down.

If the person with the launcher is good, hope you have a good enough fit to tank a few hits while backing off, because no matter what you do, skilled Swarm Launcher guys WILL get at least a couple of hits on you.

This message was brought to you by someone who has probably shot you down with a Swarm Launcher before...

I've seen dropships outrun 3 full sets of missiles I've unleashed at them.

I would like to see (or hear rather) a "lock-on" indication when your dropship has been locked onto. Chances are it'll be difficult to avoid anyway, but a semi-skilled pilot should be able to evade a few. Not sure if it is feasible, but well fitted dropships are going to cost a pretty penny,so it would be nice to be able to save a few from being blown up.

And no...i don't have ANY SP invested in vehicles.

I would like to see (or hear rather) a "lock-on" indication when your dropship has been locked onto. Chances are it'll be difficult to avoid anyway, but a semi-skilled pilot should be able to evade a few. Not sure if it is feasible, but well fitted dropships are going to cost a pretty penny,so it would be nice to be able to save a few from being blown up.

And no...i don't have ANY SP invested in vehicles.

I'm sorry, but when that happens, you're doing it wrong. I had it a few times before I found ways to counter it. Reposition when they start to fly away form the first shot, and fire a second volley so it approaches from as close to the opposite angle as possible. They usually panic and turn sharply, getting themselves hit by both. The smart ones tank their way through the second volley and keep running from the first.

I would like to confirm this wouldn't work against me once I start evasive orbit. By the time the missiles reach they're already trying to chase no matter how well ahead the angle is they want to fly up first then head twoards me or they start to head twoards me too early and wind up chasing my tail end. Either way it seems nearly impossible to get a strike on my nose side with a swarm launcher once I am in orbit.

I'm sorry, but when that happens, you're doing it wrong. I had it a few times before I found ways to counter it. Reposition when they start to fly away form the first shot, and fire a second volley so it approaches from as close to the opposite angle as possible. They usually panic and turn sharply, getting themselves hit by both.

It's rare, but it can happen. They're usually hovering at max range and I'm locking my third salvo when they run. You can't always quickly chase to reposition. But thanks for the criticism.

To get into a position where it wouldn't work, I'm already in "it's ok, he ran away" mode. And if you ran away, I achieved my secondary goal of area denial, so I still win. Killing isn't always necessary for victory.

I only run away from forge gunners, I orbit swarm launcher people to death while my gunner wittles them away the orbit for avoiding missile fire is pertty tight, just have to have a slightly above average loiter alititude <3 nanofibers.

Flight wise we could have been equal it depends on the IQ of my gunners. some are smart some are total idiots like the two I picked up today absolutely refused to shoot anything on the ground such as 2 swarm launcher guys a forge gunner and 2 sagaris, and not a single shot from either gunner went down side. Forge gunner forced my run off and the sagaris nailed me on the exit slope.

I'm pretty sure you're smart enough not to spend literally half the match, while your team is losing, chasing after a lone Swarm Launcher guy in a remote and otherwise-abandoned corner of the map.

This guy was.

Good pilot. Not too bright, though.

I would like to see (or hear rather) a "lock-on" indication when your dropship has been locked onto. Chances are it'll be difficult to avoid anyway, but a semi-skilled pilot should be able to evade a few. Not sure if it is feasible, but well fitted dropships are going to cost a pretty penny,so it would be nice to be able to save a few from being blown up.

And no...i don't have ANY SP invested in vehicles.

If you're high, drop down and go under pipes if there are some nearby, by the time you reach them, the missiles WILL be high enough that they'll slam into the pipes instead of following you under.

If you're near ground level, go over obstacles and drop back down.

If the person with the launcher is good, hope you have a good enough fit to tank a few hits while backing off, because no matter what you do, skilled Swarm Launcher guys WILL get at least a couple of hits on you.

This message was brought to you by someone who has probably shot you down with a Swarm Launcher before...

LOL! wut...

See the thing is once I see you flying in a dropship I lock on you and fire in the opposite direction. I then lock on you again and fire in the opposite direction again. Then I lock on you and fire at you. So by the time you realize it you have 3 sets of prototype swarm launcher rockets up your tail. Try running away from that and my tripple complex damage mods .

Yours truely
A HAV/LAV/Dropship destroyer

LOL! wut...

Swarms aren't the issue I've found, it's all about the forge gun. They always get the killing blow imo.

On anything other than a bog standard dropship you can tank the first salvo of swarms easily without any boosting/repairing. If your still there to recieve the second then your doing it wrong. The first hit should be telling you to move out ASAP imo.

I've kept at least 3 guys with swarms busy an entire match before, sure they hit the first salvo but they never get killing blow. Not even protos. I know I had at least 2 guys on me because I could hear their comms and them whining about me "out-running" them. I wasn't, I was simply out maneuvering them. Forge guns however are really deadly.

Use your surroundings to break the missiles line of tracking, that is all I'll say on the matter. These things should be figured out by the player, that way you'll do it instinctively after a while.

Also turn your sound up a little when piloting. Even in mono on my TV I can hear missiles approaching, if you can hear a hiss then get your toe down!.

Lastly your fitting is just as important, if not more so than your skills as a pilot. A poorly fitted dropship flown by an ace pilot will still go down like a new pilot was flying it.