Something "odd" is definitely happening (or happened) on my server. After not playing for weeks I decided to queue a few times yesterday (and the day before) and was "shocked" to see none of the GSF aces and fanatics who were regulars before 2.6 in a single match! I figured that they might be on alts but the performance of these pilots made it apparent that most of them were relatively new to GSF. The other shock was that hardly any of these players were using Gunships or Bombers. I played about 3-4 matches each day and 90% of the ships were Strikes or Scouts, except for I think one match where the other side loaded Gunships and Bombers. I actually had a match where almost all of the ships were Strikes (in all honesty this was a very fun match)! Anyway, not sure what's going on and zero speculation...I'm just saying it was very odd. The only reason I kept queuing was to see if I would catch any familiar names but I only came across one or two.

I loved GSF. Past tense because I haven't played in weeks. I hate bombers because of their pet drones. It seems like after 2.6 the entire focus switched to "everyone must dodge or kill Gunships and Bomber Pets." I had more fun fighting and killing (mostly getting killed by) the OP Battle Scouts while every now and again having to deal with Gunships. That was by far less tedious and annoying than the current Episode 2.6 "the Drone Wars" As crazy as it may sound I'm honestly beginning to think Bioware has some deep pocketed benefactor (or benefactor's kid) pulling the strings and influencing the most important decisions when it comes to GSF ...because it seems as if none of the feedback regarding bombers was even considered in the slightest. It also seems as if the invitations to test new GSF content on the PTS are just a ruse so it can be said that they gave players the opportunity but no one answered the call. Whatever the reason(s) may be, with all conspiracy theories aside, in my honest opinion its not as fun as it used to be. In the future I will que every once in awhile to see if things have changed or improved. Until then enjoy and happy pet hunting!

LOL! I guarantee some elitist "know it all" feels like a real idiot right about now. ROFL!

LOL! Just admit that you're a Gunship fanatic who loves easy mode and doesn't want to see Ion Railgun nerfed again. We will leave it at that...have fun chasing your tail.

LOL! Really? Ok bud if you say so...wow. There's a little something called context..look it up sometime. Edit: Apparently you didn't read this part of his closing statement. OP: "Can you even imagine the QQ if Mercs or Sorcs had a max-range CC/slow that also half-killed the target in one shot, and no melee class had any--ANY--tools to counter it?"

Actually the OP never said that. You clearly have all the issues you accuse me of having. I knew there were kids and crazies on these forums but wow...just wow!

Running away certainly isn't the only option. In my opinion if you are that close its best to use all the tools you have at your disposal to engage the Gunship. If your only option is to "run"/outmaneuver him...boost/barrel roll directly towards him and hope you get behind him before he gets a shot off. If you are that close and you boost/barrel roll in the opposite direction he's just going to shoot you in the back anyway.

Not getting this. Lets say you find yourself 8k away from a Gunship and you see each other, the only option is to run and get shot in the back?!?! ...and what if during your attempt to get out of range you put yourself within range of another Gunship?

Similar logic can be applied to bombers. In ground PvP tank/healing classes aren't allowed to drop multiple companions all around the map at random. Maybe they should though..if it "works" for Space PvP why not Ground PvP?

Gunships benefited the most from the introduction of bombers, from both an offensive and defensive standpoint. This is extremely puzzling to me because before 2.6 Gunships were topping the charts in almost everything without the need for stationary cover and easy drone/bomber kills .

I used to play a few matches everyday now I hardly play at all. I dislike bombers but I'm not going to blame it on 2.6 though. It really isn't as fun to me as it used to be, but I figure its just because I played way too much over the past two months and I'm in need of a break.

On the Battle Record under Total Kills it says "Your total kills including other players, drones and objective(s)." Only other stat category I see is "Total Objective Turrets Killed". Am I missing something?

If I'm not mistaken they already do count as kills. Check the battle record.

IMO, when you put effort into killing drones it makes you an easy target to other players including the bomber who "farted" them out. This is why I just avoid them 99.9% of the time and put most of my efforts into taking down the bomber itself...no bomber..no drones. Edit: Only drone I will sometimes go out of my way to destroy is the repair drone..its the most dangerous imo. Edit 2: In any match Gunships and fighters with EMP should be clearing drones...problem is most Gunship pilots are more interested in getting player kills or find drones too hard to target so they usually don't bother.

I have experienced the MISSILE LOCK and -500m SHOT problems countless times.

So fully upgraded you can drop between 3-6 mines at a time? Interesting. Is this the same with drones? Has anyone tried making a team with all bombers just to see what happens? Lol.

Depends on your interests. If you're interested in learning the ropes and acquiring skills that will provide you the best experience, start with fighters that can survive the longest with limited upgrades and actually require some level of player activity (i.e. Strikes and Gunships). If you are looking to accumulate easy kills, assists and high damage you can't lose with the Bomber.

Took about 4-5 days off for no reason in particular. My "welcome back" assessment: Bombers are not "OP"...they are just boring and require zero skill Dog fighting is still taking place in both game modes although it is a bit muted (In matches with bombers I found myself trying to dodge either mines, drones or Gunship fire 75% of the time) Offensive Drones are still annoying I'm still seeing drones and mines dropped around sats with no trace of the squad-mate who dropped them. Is this part of some strategy I'm unaware of..or some preferred tactic? These areas tend to be Ghost towns for most of the match.

They will probably use our class ships for multiplayer space combat. I won't be surprised if they introduce new class ships for that specific purpose. If its too late to redesign the current bombers hopefully they will consider the community's suggestions for the third type.

I felt the exact same way during subscriber early access. Everything and everyone seemed as if they moving at light speed and the players from Beta were dominating...but that is no longer the case. Keep playing and you will adjust, it takes time and it won't all come at once. Before learning how to use my weapons effectively I had to adjust to the speed and learn how to maneuver. After that I had to learn how to survive and from there I learned how to kill. It took about ten days for me to finally become competitive, playing no less than five back to back matches a day. Edit: Bottom line...I refused to give up and it paid off.

Here's another bomber with a turret position. The H-Wing: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/BTS-A2_Long-Range_Strike_Fighter/Bomber Edit: I didn't even realize the most popular and venerable Y-Wing Bomber also has a turret! http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/BTL_Y-wing_starfighter

Agreed, as a pimp the bomber has to ensure all other bombers know which drones and mines are in its stable...and they are definitely supposed to wear what Big Daddy/Mama bomber tells them to wear! Don't forget the fur lined laser cannons! Fur is a must!

Check out the previous threads about this. "BioWare, DON'T put autonomous damaging drones in GSF...": http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=7104688#post7104688 "Bomber Arsenal": http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=713548&highlight=Bomber+Arsenal "Fresh off the PTS some bombers straight dope": http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=715353 Good ideas regarding design were even proposed by beta testers. "[Feedback] More on Bombers": http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=695198&highlight=bombers IMO: Turret positions located on the bomber are actually the best option because they have a limited FOV, requiring the pilot to maneuver and maintain situational awareness. There is even precedence for turret positions in the lore: "K-Wing": http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=719467&highlight=K-Wing

I think bombers should be primarily about AOE weapons and support (reapir/reload). In addition to my previous suggestions, it would also make for more fun and engaging play if the bomber had a weapon like the EMP field. A close proximity weapon that would require time to charge up, have an extended CD and affect both enemies and allies. With this weapon a bomber pilot can now go on attack runs against camped targets, much like they do conventionally but with a twist because it would require them to get extremely close before unleashing it. So now when a team notices an enemy bomber incoming they rush to take it down and the bomber's teammates are forced to provide air support in order to ensure the attack run's success. Since the AOE effect can also harm allies it will prevent abuse and require skill and coordination to use. By abuse I mean bombers flying in groups with some healing while the others charge up the weapon and/or bombers just using the weapon at random. According to another community member's post the DEVs apparently intended for bombers to fulfill a defensive role by encircling Gunships with mines and drones....but prior to 2.6 Gunships were performing well enough without a "big brother" to watch their back and look at how this very tactic is now being abused. Furthermore, conventional air combat has always required fighters and air support craft to defend bombers, not vice versa. Anyway, just another suggestion I hope the DEVs give some consideration. Edit: How about Seismic Pulse as the bombers close proximity AOE weapon?

Great video. Thanks for sharing! IMO: 1. Gunships provide the best opportunity to increase new player skill. With the proper components the type 2 Gunship could prove especially useful for this 2. At present Bombers = FOO Strategies that will never help players transition