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Jaron Pollard
Uitraan Diversified Holdings Incorporated
50
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Posted - 2013.05.17 21:12:00 -
[1] - Quote
Yep, one of those again. I think this will be a bit different, though, so please read it all.
I'm a pilot in real life, both fixed and rotary wing hours, a combined total of nearly 2500 hours, not sure how much in each. Mostly, I fly Robins for aerial photography stuff, cuz it's fun.
Now, I've also had the opportunity to pilot a Royal Australian Army UH-1 and an OH-1. Compared the the Robin, neither one of these are a leaf on the breeze if you get my drift. They are not as touchy as the Robin, but they are heavy, and take a lot of very precise input from the pilot to control.
Unfortunately, despite my real life experience, getting into my first dropship in a match I just played didn't end well... but, that was only because I inverted the flight controls, cuz I thought that might make it more realistic. Needless to say, I flew myself and a sniper passenger looking for a quick lift to a good vantage point into the side of a mountain. It was a spectacular fail, and I couldn't stop laughing, but my passenger was not so impressed.
Anyway, I spawned in a new starter fit, checked out the controls again and changed the inverted flight controls back. The vehicle suddenly came to life and, through a series of trial and error maneuvers (surprisingly, not too much error, though definitely some close calls) I finally gave that ship some proper wings.
Anyway, I've been reading alot about complaints regarding dropship controls and I have, up until now, refrained from commenting, because I had yet to try it. I'll tell you what annoys me, the only thing that annoys me. As a pilot, I'm trained that when you pull the stick back, the nose will lift. I would like the camera to do that. When I pull back on the right stick, it means I'm trying to look up, not down. But I cannot find an option to invert that. I have inverted look when on foot, but if changing that for dropship piloting is required to get the same effect... why?
That's my only beef. As far as I can tell, the ship handles very much like a vehicle in that role should handle, and the actual flight controls themselves make sense, and is very analogous to the collective/cyclic/rudder controls you get on a helicopter in the same role. It is not easy to fly one of these vehicles, and I don't think it should be. It should be a constant battle against the forces of gravity and enemy fire, while attempting to return a few rounds and deploy troops in hostile environments.
Needless to say, after watching me lift off the first time straight into a hillside, it didn't seem like anyone on my team was willing to climb into my second dropship, so I spent the match (which we were winning anyway) getting a handle on the controls and repping when I took fire. I made a large number of circles around the map and even harassed an enemy dropship into crashing into a building, all while flying at low altitude using precision maneuvering to avoid the buildings and enemy fire myself.
I like the controls, except that I can't invert my vertical looking on it. Unless I can, which would require me to change it for my footwork as well, which I don't wanna do. For me, back means up, forward means down. It makes sense if you're a pilot, and so does the dropship. |
Jaron Pollard
Uitraan Diversified Holdings Incorporated
50
|
Posted - 2013.05.17 21:17:00 -
[2] - Quote
Nguruthos IX wrote:The controls are perfectly fine, sans front-turret control.
What's wrong with the front turret? I haven't tried it yet, so this is a genuine question. The pilot doesn't seem to have any access to weaponry. |
Jaron Pollard
Uitraan Diversified Holdings Incorporated
51
|
Posted - 2013.05.17 21:25:00 -
[3] - Quote
Okay, I'll check it out soon. And for the record, I'm only using my real flight experience as a judge of the controls and handling of dropships. Trust me, real flight controls vs. PS3 controller means I'm still getting used to something entirely new. Having a basic understanding of required concepts, however, does help. Anyway, I'll have a read of that soon. |
Jaron Pollard
Uitraan Diversified Holdings Incorporated
51
|
Posted - 2013.05.17 21:33:00 -
[4] - Quote
CPL Bloodstone wrote:i put some hours behind a robinson 22 beta and that is a touchy little bird. I agree with you on all counts about flying these dropships and i like the complexity of it. However i would like to be able to adjust the controls myself. I liked Pre May 6th flying vs this new camera thing they got going on.
Definitely, customizable flight controls would be awesome, but customisable anything controls in this game would be a whole lot better. I actually like the default layout for dropships, tbh. R1/R2 = collective (as well as part throttle if you use it right), left stick = cyclic, right stick = rudder. So I can't really think of a customisation that would improve on that. I definitely think it's better flown with a controller instead of KB/M. |
Jaron Pollard
Uitraan Diversified Holdings Incorporated
51
|
Posted - 2013.05.17 21:37:00 -
[5] - Quote
Mobius Wyvern wrote:
I agree with you completely on their handling, and greatly enjoy flying them myself, but they're far too easy to shoot down.
Well, they're not exactly tanks now, are they. Aircraft need to be constructed of light materials for ease of flight. The heavier they are, the more energy they require to lift, maneuver, etc, and the less they can carry. |
Jaron Pollard
Uitraan Diversified Holdings Incorporated
51
|
Posted - 2013.05.17 21:54:00 -
[6] - Quote
Felix Faraday wrote:Flying is a lot of fun. That's why so many pilots are being so vocal about how bad the current situation is. No WP, paper thin, turret controls, etc. etc.
I'm not in it for the rewards, sorry. I don't care about the WP. And aircraft, as I stated, are not built to be flying tanks. That's what tanks are for. I had a shield booster and an armour repper, and dual resistance plates on mine and it took a lot of firepower. No CRU though, that's probably why no one was spawning. So I made a new one with a CRU. But I speed tanked it instead, and I've been dodging so many missiles it's almost funny :p Doesn't need HP if you can avoid getting hit.
I will have to try the turret controls, though. I'll get to it. |
Jaron Pollard
Uitraan Diversified Holdings Incorporated
51
|
Posted - 2013.05.17 21:55:00 -
[7] - Quote
Nguruthos IX wrote:Jaron Pollard wrote:Nguruthos IX wrote:The controls are perfectly fine, sans front-turret control. What's wrong with the front turret? I haven't tried it yet, so this is a genuine question. The pilot doesn't seem to have any access to weaponry. If you can borrow one from a friend I encourage you to try ir yourself. The turret cannot be aimed in first person but is fixed to the ship. In third you can aim down about 60 degrees. Not right or left. The problem though is that the camera, tied to your turret aiming dot, is constantly and forcibly reset upward. If you want to aim down you both have to shoot at target you cannot see through your own ship but also must maintain a steady semi pressure down on the control sticm to hold scope in place. Impossible to hold still
That sounds like a legitimate issue then. Like I said, I'll have to try it. |
Jaron Pollard
Uitraan Diversified Holdings Incorporated
51
|
Posted - 2013.05.17 22:12:00 -
[8] - Quote
Nguruthos IX wrote:Jaron Pollard wrote:Felix Faraday wrote:Flying is a lot of fun. That's why so many pilots are being so vocal about how bad the current situation is. No WP, paper thin, turret controls, etc. etc.
I'm not in it for the rewards, sorry. I don't care about the WP. And aircraft, as I stated, are not built to be flying tanks. That's what tanks are for. I had a shield booster and an armour repper, and dual resistance plates on mine and it took a lot of firepower. No CRU though, that's probably why no one was spawning. So I made a new one with a CRU. But I speed tanked it instead, and I've been dodging so many missiles it's almost funny :p Doesn't need HP if you can avoid getting hit. I will have to try the turret controls, though. I'll get to it. Sure you can fly around all day and maybe not get killed but what are you contributing then
That's the thing about piloting. Being able to pilot WHILE contributing. |
Jaron Pollard
Uitraan Diversified Holdings Incorporated
52
|
Posted - 2013.05.17 22:31:00 -
[9] - Quote
Nguruthos IX wrote:Jaron Pollard wrote:Nguruthos IX wrote:Jaron Pollard wrote:Felix Faraday wrote:Flying is a lot of fun. That's why so many pilots are being so vocal about how bad the current situation is. No WP, paper thin, turret controls, etc. etc.
I'm not in it for the rewards, sorry. I don't care about the WP. And aircraft, as I stated, are not built to be flying tanks. That's what tanks are for. I had a shield booster and an armour repper, and dual resistance plates on mine and it took a lot of firepower. No CRU though, that's probably why no one was spawning. So I made a new one with a CRU. But I speed tanked it instead, and I've been dodging so many missiles it's almost funny :p Doesn't need HP if you can avoid getting hit. I will have to try the turret controls, though. I'll get to it. Sure you can fly around all day and maybe not get killed but what are you contributing then That's the thing about piloting. Being able to pilot WHILE contributing. That's the thing about why they shouldn't be made of 1-ply TP
This is an exaggeration, simple. For the last time, they are not meant to be tanks. They are MEANT to be fragile. They are MEANT to be easy to kill, but HARD to hit with a good pilot |
Jaron Pollard
Uitraan Diversified Holdings Incorporated
54
|
Posted - 2013.05.17 23:08:00 -
[10] - Quote
Nguruthos IX wrote:Jaron Pollard wrote:
This is an exaggeration, simple. For the last time, they are not meant to be tanks. They are MEANT to be fragile. They are MEANT to be easy to kill, but HARD to hit with a good pilot
I'm not so sure they're "Meant" to be anything. There's what they are now, and then there's what they should be to increase game balance, variety, and fun. A DS cannot preform a single function if there exist weapons in the game which obliterate it instantly the moment it stops moving (and in many cases while it's moving).
They're "meant" to be air support, and for rapid troop insertion, not air domination or superiority. With inertia dampers on soldiers, a good pilot can drop soldiers from ceiling right on top of objectives. They're not meant to be tanks. We have tanks. Can you imagine if the could fly? Do you know why you can't? Because they're too HEAVY because of all the armour.
I think what you want out of it is a pure attack gunship, kinda like the dropship version of an Apache. Think more Huey troop carrier, less uber-weapons-platform, and that's what it's meant to be. I just got wasted in a game flying a dropship because I was stationary for too long, trying to give my missile gunner a shot at a tank, but I also managed to drop four groups of infantry at various objectives, and we won the match. That's where the dropship is strong, it's ability to move across the map with such speed and precision, it doesn't matter if you get blown up when you get there.
But if you're good, then you won't, and you get outta the hotzone, grab some more boots, and go straight back in. It's like vietnam, except without the running away. I do find it fun, I do find it balanced, and I do find it adds a lot of variety.
Turrets, I understand. HP? Come on, let's be real here. It's an aircraft. I've explained this again and again and again and nobody reads it. They are made out of light, fragile but sturdy materials for the purposes of being able to fly and carry heavy loads without expending too much energy. It's simple aviation physics. |
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