Contrary to what some people think, Strikers are actually much better dog fighters than Scouts. It's much, much easier for a heftier Strike to hang out there with their stronger hulls and blast missiles at Scouts using their slower/steadier mobility. It takes a mere couple missiles and a few blaster shots to down a Scout. As stated you want to be fighting at off angles in a striker and not coming at a Scout head on. While people think a Striker should be able to play chicken with a Scout, that plays right into a Scout's hand. As in order for them to achieve the best success with their burst build, they need targets that remain steady in their cross-hairs. They move fast and kill fast... A Striker moves slower and has to draw out a fight longer (meaning more than 3-6 seconds) and run the Scout out of their CDs. If a target is moving at all, it takes longer for a Scout to get hits, thus wasting their CDs... Once they've been lured to blow their CDs, they're paper thin for a good 40 seconds or so, plenty of time to mow them down. Keep in mind, this is neither Top Gun, nor Rock, Paper, Scissors... Each fighter is designed to be able to take out others, but you have to be smart about playing to each other fighter's weaknesses.

You're not doing half as much power on your weapons. They just regen at a slower rate when something else is bumped up. It's not about power, it's about regen.

I must just be on a really good server, but this Scout imbalance I see people posting about here, I simply don't see. Maybe Harbinger is just a really amazing server. In a typical fight there, the majority of the fighters are Strike Fighters, and the rest are split between Scouts and Gunships. In fact, I will often play a Scout, even if I go in wanting to play a Striker, because Scouts are under-represented and we would need a certain amount (at least 2), to cap a couple objectives from the start.

Interesting. I haven't noticed anything of the sort on Harbinger; I could be wrong, but there it just seems like a lot of random good pilots, but no large pre-built groups from what I've been noting, and I have been looking for it. I've played just shy of 400 matches there, and while I do recognize a lot of names in each match they all seem to be randomly matched and in fact solo queued. Many times I'll see several good pilots on one group, and then the next match see the same players split between the two teams (during the same faction fights). While I've noted many good players there, I've also noticed these great players appearing quite randomly in combinations, which suggests to me that there are no large groups queuing there like your B Colony. Perhaps make a toon over on Harbinger and see how you find the community there. I really like pilots there, it seems there is some nice mutual respect between the good players there. And as you can make a pilot there from level 1, might be worth checking out. On Harbinger these best pilots are on Republic side, winning probably 70%+ of all matches, but there are also many great Imp pilots as well, and some have good pilots on both sides.

I'm gonna just go ahead and take a guess here, that you haven't played a Scout before. This kind of argument is like having some toon pop their CD's on you in a Warzone, then suggest they should be nerfed, because that class or spec should not be able to kill you. It's important to note that GSF is not rock paper scissors. Any class ship can, and should be able to, take out any other class of ship in the game, let alone the same type. Each class of ship has their own strengths and weaknesses. For all those complaining about Scouts, it's really pretty faceroll easy to kill Scouts with Strike Fighters or Gunships.

I have virtually all of my several hundred matches played as a solo queue, and the few I queued with a friend, we were not on voice control. The only team work I have seen thus far has been people typing in ops at the staging window and at times during the match. So I haven't encountered any issues of this nature. Maybe Harbinger simply has a larger playing base to draw from.

When I went into this the first time, I knew I'd be matched up against skilled beta tester pilots, and I knew I was both probably going to lose a lot of matches and also get killed a lot. I went in knowing this, but also knowing each match I would be learning and acquiring acquisition, both of which would make me a better star fighter. Practice, be patient, have fun.

The gear gap here really is quite small. I can hop on a new toon that has never played GSF and still perform an effective role in a match. That said, make a new toon over on Harbinger of you want to get in some good GSF matches. The quality of pilots and matches over there are really quite good.

I have to say that GSF is some of the most fun AND balanced PvP I've played in years. And is certainly a lot better than most ground PvP in many MMOs. Likely this will indeed be an evolving product, but as it is now it's quite well done. There are so many ways that one can play their fighter, so much to choose from, a variety of different play styles, and lots of different and evolving strategies being used right now. One thing I am 100% confident in however, is that the devs are watching closely and most certainly have a definite feel for the metrics all round in GSF right now. I also feel, that considering many of the more head scratching posts (and complaints) and threads here on this forum, that those metrics may also surprise a lot of players as well.

Kinda depends on what your playstyle is... On my ships 95% of the time, I have my engine power bumped as well. One other thing of note here is that the video is done from the perspective of a Pike. So for all those threads where people are whining about Scouts or Gunships being OP, here is one good video that shows how SFs, can be super effective. Nice vid.

The only battles I've been in that seem to be lost causes or unwinnable, are ones where the team is 100% disorganized and on their own agenda, whether being simply kill hunting and ignoring objectives, or just clueless when it comes to team work. I was in one battle earlier tonight where I recognized half a dozen excellent pilots and thought the battle was lost before we got out of the staging window, but we capped all three satellites right from go and held on for a convincing win. When you got even an ounce of teamwork, most battles have a decent chance.

^ Some true stuff here. There are some very good pilots out there on all ships, and lots of strategies being devised and countered at a quick rate. Lots of things are going to even out also, being still in this early state. I see many of the same players on both sides, have noted who get killed and how many kills they get, and it may surprise people that a lot of time it balances out, because people get to know the great pilots and team up on them. One pilot may get several kills one match, and then get completely wiped out on another. I know on Harbinger there are some really good matches; my last battle before logging was one that we won by less than 20 points in a battle that was frantically going back and forth.

Would be nice if there were some better organized stats for this, as it only shows legacy wide and ship role type stats, not specific imp/pub ships... Oh, well...

Certainly some good pilots and fun matches on Harbinger =)

^ No need, this reply speaks for itself. /thread

Any reason for this kind of reply? Seems you're only confirming the theme and message in this thread.

I haven't noticed any of these kinds of issues yet.

I find it curious that you make a thread about this, when you yourself have been doing exactly what you are being critical of.

I've said this a number of times now, and I'll say it again. Don't try to out-scout the Scout. The Scout's strength is firing upon stationary, or straight in line targets using their burst CDs. If you go head to head against one you will lose, don't even try that. The way to counter a Scout is to use vector angle and fire missiles at them. Don't let them get a straight shot. In order for their burst guns and (low accuracy) Rocket Pods to work, they need you to be holding steady. Once they blow their CDs, they are paper thin for at least half a minute. Play to this weakness. Don't play to a Scout's strength and then complain they are OP. They are nothing even close to OP, they have a defensive CD for a max of 6 seconds then are vulnerable. The players posting here calling them OP, are clearly countering them completely wrong.

The Flashfire/Sting have EITHER rocket pods or Cluster Missiles, but not both. If they use Rocket Pods, they excel at taking out turrets and stationary ships, or ones that try to play chicken with a Scout, but the weakness for Rocket Pods is their low accuracy and can be defended by mobility. If they use Cluster missiles, they are better dogfighters, but lose the burst ability as well as being able to take out turrets effectively. Quite honestly I'm a little baffled at people feeling Scouts are OP. They have things they excel at and the issue comes when people try to out-scout the Scouts. You have to play them for their many weaknesses, not play into their hands.

^^ This right here. Sharee, you are one I see here who really sees and understands the variations between the fighters and how they should be played, and how to counter the others. What I see a lot of people trying to do here is out-scout the Scouts and then call them OP when they can't beat them at their own game. Scouts can have some short bursts and also some burst defences, but on both counts, once they blow their CDs, they're paper thin, and this is when they're vulnerable. Don't try to out-scout a Scout by playing chicken with one, or being stationary when the pop their CDs. Once they're used their CDs, hit them at range and at angles with your missiles and they will fall easy. Because the Scouts need to use the low accuracy Rocket Pods combined with their offensive blaster CDs to be effective, they also have to fight stationary or straight in line targets for those to be effective. Don't play to those strengths.

If a SF is fighting a Scout, you don't want to be behind them (or coming right at them), you want to play the vectors and fight them at angles with your missiles. If you try to play the Scout in straight lines, you will lose. The Scout's strength is fighting head on (or in straight line fights), they have to be countered by fighting them at range and at odd angles with missiles. if people understood not trying to out-scout a Scout, they would see that the SF is really super easy to fly and get kills on. Scouts need to fight head on and in straight lines (or have targets fly in straight lines) for their offensive CDs and most effective weaponry to be of any usefulness. Scouts using Cluster missiles do nothing for their burst damage strength, and they have to fight stationary targets or head on and straight lines for their low accuracy Rocket Pods to be of any use. If others fly to the strength of the Scouts, they will get burned. Don't play to the Scouts strengths.

NovaDives also have a 5% per second for several seconds engine regen mechanic which the Flashfires don't have. This engine regen makes them the best objective fighters in the game, bar none, for initial launch and capping objectives. They don't have have blaster overcharge, but this is really a non issue for them, if one plays the Scout to their intended role.

Here's the thing. Blaster Overcharge is powerful yes, but it's only effective on stationary targets or fighters that are moving in a straight line. Anything that is moving makes a hard target for the Scout. Once the Scout has their CD's on cool down, they're as good as naked out there. That the advantage and players have to counter that effectively. If they want to play chicken with a Scout popping their CD's, they are gonna be gunned down. Don't make yourself easy prey for a Scout. Second, Cluster missiles are not part of any burst mechanic on a Scout, they have a locking time and are ineffective if anything is moving around at any rate, and they don't work well with said CD's that some are having issues with. What gives the Scout burst are their Rocket Pods combined with their offensive blaster CD's which again only really work well on stationary targets, or fighters moving in a straight line. Again, don't make yourself easy prey for a Scout. It's not all that complicated. The cluster missiles also work much better on Striker as they're more of a range fighter and have to play vectors and angles well. Don't try to out race a Scout, or fly in a straight line with one, that is playing to their strengths. Come in on them at angles and use your locking missiles. Strikers are designed to have more punch and have more durability; use this strength. If you are playing a Striker, don't try to out-scout the Scout. Play to the SF strengths.

^^ DIng. DIng. You sir understand.