GS needs to lose or change the railgun...PERIOD

[Gavin_Kelvar]

IMO gunships are perfectly fine. All it requires is a little tactics rather than racing blindly towards the enemy. Use your targeting computer to cycle through targets as you approach your destination, if a gunship pops up identify it's location and approach it from behind cover or the side. Gunships are also very easy to spot, they're the ONLY ones who will be hovering on the edge of a dogfight, usually isolated from both friendly and enemy ships.

 

90% they'll be so focused on targeting fighters dogfighting around an objective that you'll be able to get within lethal range if you approach from a blind spot, come to a full stop, and the first time they know you're there is when begin to tear through them with your blasters. They may run before you can kill them but if you pursue you should be able to get them (so long as you pursue they won't be able to get their railguns set and will be forced to use defensive blasters, playing to your advantage). Another tip: NEVER EVER lock on with missiles as your opener when you've got the jump on a gunship, it gives you away and if you start locking on outside of lethal blaster range you give them more than enough time to run.

 

Rather than mindlessly racing to get to the next dogfight if you scan for gunships first you'll not only make your life easier, your fellow pilots will likely appreciate that you eliminated the gunships. Works for me most of the time and I've racked up a fair few gunship kills in my strike fighter.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Gavin_Kelvar

[Tholdrinn]

Personally I think railgun damage needs to be increased. In a strike fighter if I'm full shield a direct hit will barely scratch my paint,..

 

THAT is why I have gunship equipped with a ion rail and plasma rail. First shot by Ion to crack down the shield, second... I pray I keep him up in the targeting circle ... by plasma. Even than two shots most likely will not kill the enemy even if it is a scout - unless you are heavily geared up - which I am not. .

[Tholdrinn]

Also - if you hate gunships - get a flashfire scout (you can do that from weeklies), build a quad cannon, use distortion field and barrel roll. Speed thrusters and sabotage probe. Than activate your barrel roll when you hit 15k and boost up his face and just laugh at his dismay as you sap him and crack him. You don't even have to go smart about it. This ship is basically build to hunt gunships.

[Lugosi]

Which is exactly the point - snipers don't belong in a space combat game. Star Wars is not a hyper-realistic military space sim where everyone uses railguns and missiles and fight exclusively using sensor targeting data hundreds or thousands of kilometers apart from each other, it's supposed to evoke "WW2 iiiinnnnn SPAAAAACE!", which means dogfighting, attack runs on capital ships and fixed emplacements, knights of the sky-type stuff, not some numpty sitting perfectly still sniping people before they even know they're being attacked.

 

This trend these days of trying to shoehorn every single playstyle into every single game, to the detriment of the people who actually enjoy and wanted to play the original type of game, is getting really annoying.

 

"don't belong", "is not", "it's suppose to", <-- um... this isn't other space games.

What original type of game? What are you even taking about? WWII in space? Sorry, but BW never indicated that. A lot of people are enjoying the original type of game, it's called GSF and it has gunships. This is GSF and this is how GSF was created, get over it. Also, how the heck would anybody know what would happen in a real space battle, IT"S FICTION.

 

on the subject of OP:

Of course PvP wouldn't be PvP without people complaining that something is OP when they don't take the time to L2P. Scouts should be doing what scouts do, SCOUTING, spotting, relaying enemy locations, etc. Play as a team and gunships won't be an issue.

[Itkovian]

Personally I think railgun damage needs to be increased. In a strike fighter if I'm full shield a direct hit will barely scratch my paint, then I know exactly where they are thanks to R targeting and I'll either destroy them or force a major retreat getting them out of the battlefield for a while. I'm not even built full defense so I could reduce the damage even farther.

 

No, god no. NO.

 

No.

 

Barely scratching your paint with the first hit is precisely how it should be. Otherwise we're walking into "one-shotting" territory, which should _never_ happen in GS (or most game except realistic simulators or something). There HAS to be opportunities to react and counter gunships, otherwise THEN they would be quite OP.

 

So, yes, if currently when you get hit you have the option to hit R and chase down that gunship, then that's precisely how it should be. Gunships aren't supposed to be able to mow down everything before they can retaliate. What they get to do is severely weaken pristine targets out of the blue, and finish off weakened one, or straight up kill targets caught in the open with no cover.

 

Remember, this is still a team fight, and the main purpose of the gunship is to provide fire support for his comrades. This it can do splendidly.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Itkovian

[Whithorn]

it usually takes about 3-4 full powered shots to kill a full health/shield fighter. If a gunship is getting those shots, that is not a balance problem but player problems. Gunships have a nice orange glow when they are targeting, don't move, have a clear line the shot takes, and are slow in dog fights. That's balance. Its 2 days in people just need to get better at playing and recognizing threats

[reclipsed]

"don't belong", "is not", "it's suppose to", <-- um... this isn't other space games.

What original type of game? What are you even taking about? WWII in space? Sorry, but BW never indicated that. A lot of people are enjoying the original type of game, it's called GSF and it has gunships. This is GSF and this is how GSF was created, get over it. Also, how the heck would anybody know what would happen in a real space battle, IT"S FICTION.

 

on the subject of OP:

Of course PvP wouldn't be PvP without people complaining that something is OP when they don't take the time to L2P. Scouts should be doing what scouts do, SCOUTING, spotting, relaying enemy locations, etc. Play as a team and gunships won't be an issue.

 

 

This. Even if it did simulate WW2; those games... and irl WW2, had turret type guns blowing planes out of the sky.

 

 

When I first started playing, I was a little annoyed with being pinged 14K away, but then I realized they are stationary and prob are tunneling a very small visual area at that moment. Time and experience will make dealing with them easier. For example, I kept getting sniped by a camper the other day. After the first hit, you R to see its name and basic location.

 

I died, respawned and tabbed through targets to find him...still in same spot, camping. "OK, just a noob that dosen't move after a kill" Big mistake.

 

I zipped up behind him in my scout and stopped 6m away, close enough to see his pretty paintjob. Blasted him with a smile.

 

I haven't played THAT much, but I don't remember any loud warnings before I get hit by a railgun. I just get the PING 100% hull to 40-65% hull .

 

 

>campers hiding inside turrets

 

Is this what they are doing? no wonder they are so popular. I'm not mad, let them get better at not moving and I'll get better at moving and dodging them AND other scouts.

[Yorumi]

Barely scratching your paint with the first hit is precisely how it should be. Otherwise we're walking into "one-shotting" territory, which should _never_ happen in GS (or most game except realistic simulators or something). There HAS to be opportunities to react and counter gunships, otherwise THEN they would be quite OP.

 

So, yes, if currently when you get hit you have the option to hit R and chase down that gunship, then that's precisely how it should be. Gunships aren't supposed to be able to mow down everything before they can retaliate. What they get to do is severely weaken pristine targets out of the blue, and finish off weakened one, or straight up kill targets caught in the open with no cover.

 

My point is my shields regen, crew skills can repair hull, and later bombers will be able to as well. If he gets one shot that destroys my shield only and then I proceed to rip him to pieces he's effectively done 0 damage because my shield will be back to full strength probably before I can even finish killing him. I could still take more damage reduction and a larger shield pool meaning I could probably pretty easily get it to the point where only an ion railgun can even crack my shield.

 

We're obviously way to early to know but the fact that gunships rarely manage to inflict more than superficial damage to my ship throughout an entire fight isn't right. They don't need to be doing one-shots but right now I view them more as a minor annoyance than a real threat.

[Icebergy]

L2P issue. Gunships add an additional dimension to the game. Adapt and improve yourself before you complain.

[Lejka]

There is nothing wrong with railguns.

 

Most people that have access to gunship do not use it, the most common class is scout and the highest kills/assists are scouts.

 

if you are getting blown up by gunships I suggest not moving in a straight line at them.

 

they have bad speed, bad engines, and bad turning radius, most scouts completely decimate gunships withotu any fear of reprisal.

[Beslley]

strike fighetrs have the best defense not gunships (better hull, bigger shields, better regen, dont let you fool from the standart components)

a max upgraded railgun deals max 1600 damage/charge , my strike fighter with upgraded recharge shields (1800 shield capacity, with instant reg after damage, and energy to shields ) dont give a **** about gunships, one barrel roll brings you in range and gunsips are slow as hell, even if they have dampers its easy to tell where they are when they charge the gun

 

This.

Not sure why there's so much gunship QQ when we have the quell master race flying around >_>

[Itkovian]

My point is my shields regen, crew skills can repair hull, and later bombers will be able to as well. If he gets one shot that destroys my shield only and then I proceed to rip him to pieces he's effectively done 0 damage because my shield will be back to full strength probably before I can even finish killing him. I could still take more damage reduction and a larger shield pool meaning I could probably pretty easily get it to the point where only an ion railgun can even crack my shield.

 

We're obviously way to early to know but the fact that gunships rarely manage to inflict more than superficial damage to my ship throughout an entire fight isn't right. They don't need to be doing one-shots but right now I view them more as a minor annoyance than a real threat.

 

And like I said, this is a team effort. If they take down your shields in one shot, that leaves you substantially weaker to their buddies. Likewise, if you are ALREADY being engaged, good luck surviving that gunship's fire support.

 

And note that Slug Railguns pierce your shields, so your hull is taking something like 300 damage too.

 

Make no mistake, gunships are _nasty_, and if you think they're negligible, you probably haven't run into the good ones yet. They certainly don't need to do extra damage.

[Brimmer]

You can see which ships your team and your enemy uses before the match even starts. Gunships are only useful when they are in few numbers, when there are more gunships than scouts and fighters combined, it's a super easy win for the other team. Gunships are great for a team death match situation, but since swtor pvp is objective base, they'll never win a match alone.

 

As to the gunship itself, fly straight at it till it starts to charge it's laser, wait a second, then fly in a hugely different direction, till they waste their ammo, then go for the kill. Or just sneak up behind them; either way they have little to no defense other than running, which you'll be easily able to stay with them since you have superior speed.

 

Or just use another gunship against them. 1 partly charged ion blast, then a fully charged hit from any of the other two railguns will wipe them out.

 

Side note, most gunship players have a serious case of scope vision. That being said, sit behind them at 500m charge your missile then open fire with both your primary and secondary being used at the same time. They will be ripped apart, and forced to run, which they can't do since you're quicker than them.

 

Now if you're against a good player, then a gunship is nasty in all ranges, and against all ships. The best thing to do is team up against them. But the same goes for a skilled player using any ship.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Brimmer

[NemoSD]

Gunships are easy. They leave a visual indicator when they hit you, little lightening bolt things. Plus they hit hard so you normally see your shield drop. If you get hit, stop pursuit, duck behind something, and tab until the gunship shows up. If you are a strike, you might have trouble finding it, but a Nova or Flashfire looks at sensor dampening and says nope. Make sure you have the crew that extends sensor range and the gunship is lit up like a Christmas tree. Then shout banzai, and murder him.

[Sledgeweb]

Which is exactly the point - snipers don't belong in a space combat game. Star Wars is not a hyper-realistic military space sim where everyone uses railguns and missiles and fight exclusively using sensor targeting data hundreds or thousands of kilometers apart from each other, it's supposed to evoke "WW2 iiiinnnnn SPAAAAACE!", which means dogfighting, attack runs on capital ships and fixed emplacements, knights of the sky-type stuff, not some numpty sitting perfectly still sniping people before they even know they're being attacked.

 

This trend these days of trying to shoehorn every single playstyle into every single game, to the detriment of the people who actually enjoy and wanted to play the original type of game, is getting really annoying.

 

So it should be the way you like it and not the way other people like it?

[Brimmer]

Which is exactly the point - snipers don't belong in a space combat game. Star Wars is not a hyper-realistic military space sim where everyone uses railguns and missiles and fight exclusively using sensor targeting data hundreds or thousands of kilometers apart from each other, it's supposed to evoke "WW2 iiiinnnnn SPAAAAACE!", which means dogfighting, attack runs on capital ships and fixed emplacements, knights of the sky-type stuff, not some numpty sitting perfectly still sniping people before they even know they're being attacked.

 

This trend these days of trying to shoehorn every single playstyle into every single game, to the detriment of the people who actually enjoy and wanted to play the original type of game, is getting really annoying.

 

Your post makes you sound like you never heard of star wars before, and somebody randomly gave you this game. Star wars has ships for everything. Snipers both in space and ground combat are very normal occurrence.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Brimmer

[Yorumi]

And like I said, this is a team effort. If they take down your shields in one shot, that leaves you substantially weaker to their buddies. Likewise, if you are ALREADY being engaged, good luck surviving that gunship's fire support.

 

And note that Slug Railguns pierce your shields, so your hull is taking something like 300 damage too.

 

Yes it's a team game but my enemy isn't the only one with a team. They arn't useless but if you build for defense they can't do a whole lot right now. What you're describing is a situation where my enemy is using coordinated teamwork and my team is not, that's an unfair comparison. 300 damage to my hull is repaired with a touch of Hydro Spanner, quick charge shield means once i take the hit I've got 30% shield back right away and unless my guns are getting low on power I'm usually flying with shield power boosted already.

 

Maybe upgrades will make a difference but right now 2 or 3 hits with an ion cannon will have about the same effect. I'm not willing to call it underpowered this early but right now I'd much rather deal with 1 fighter and 1 gunship than 2 fighters on me.

[Bachannal]

Turrets need to be removed. Too many snipers hide inside of them and gain immunity from being attacked and pick off people with no effort or skill. This needs to be fixed ASAP. Make turrets solid so you can blow up if you crash into them.

 

And then you have the problem of everyone using kamikaze tactics to win. No thanks.

 

Look folks...I am TERRIBLE by comparison to most players, and I was rockin' and rollin' last night in a few groups. The key to success was working as a TEAM. If you have a bunch of solo hotshots trying to just rack up points (which they may very well do) you can still easily lose matches due to lost cap points, etc. You need a team, and strategy, and some skill...and a fair dinkum of luck too.

 

Use wingmen. Poach gunships - they get lazy about picking people off and make excellent targets for scouts. Strikefighters are tough to beat in an outright gun battle, but in terms of maneuverability, they're terrible next to a scout. Learn your vehicle, and learn to judge your opponents moves....it's like driving a car in this aspect - you have to stay alert and be able to anticipate counter moves!

 

Again...I'll say it...I am TERRIBLE at flight games...I get myself near queasy trying to outrun folks in dogfights, but even I have had success when I just stick to the basics.

[Yndras]

You close the gap of 15k in a scout in no time and there is plenty of obstacles to make you break LOS to the sniper.

If the sniper is hovering "above" the main eclipse, they limit their field of action to a small field.

A single full charged hit by a railgun will not destroy any ship with shields up and you can learn to break away fast.

 

I was playing mostly in scout and gunship so far and while I admit, that a gunship can wreak havoc on unsuspecting victims, I also learned, that as a scout I can jump gunships and kill them with ease, before they got time to turn in my direction even.

 

GS does not need to lose railguns.

 

They do need to reduce the range, or they could reduce the damage by a %age to compensate for energy disipation, say +12km away it drops 50% of its power, + 10-12km it is 75% of its power, or similar.

 

At the moment getting picked out of the air, before you realise you need to take one out does detract from the dogfighting and space battle a little, i wouldnt remove it, but i would tone it down.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Yndras

[Yorumi]

At the moment getting picked out of the air, before you realise you need to take one out does detract from the dogfighting and space battle a little, i wouldnt remove it, but i would tone it down.

 

This is kind of only a problem for scouts, and even then you should be moving enough that it makes it really hard to hit. Like I say in a strike a railgun barely scratches the paint, if the same was true in a scout gunships would be entirely useless.

[Yndras]

This is kind of only a problem for scouts, and even then you should be moving enough that it makes it really hard to hit. Like I say in a strike a railgun barely scratches the paint, if the same was true in a scout gunships would be entirely useless.

 

Nope, strike fighters and scouts take the same amount of damage. One just has more hull life than the other. your only a problem for scouts argument is moot, too much damage, too much range, one has to make way for the other.

[Yorumi]

Nope, strike fighters and scouts take the same amount of damage. One just has more hull life than the other. your only a problem for scouts argument is moot, too much damage, too much range, one has to make way for the other.

 

Put some damage reduction on then. A shot at full shields from a railgun is almost totally absorbed by the shield. The 300 or so hull damage is easily repaired with my companion skill and shields recharge. Once you know he's there he should never get a second shot. If they're quick they can maybe 2 shot a scout but again they should never get that second shot off.

 

Gunships are no real threat to me and if they had their range reduced they'd be crippled. They're already only 5km outside the effective combat envelope of a strike, if they had to be within dog fighting range to be effective there would be literally no point in flying one.

[shadowflit]

I don't like Gunships. I don't like that they kill me whenever I'm engaged elsewhere.

 

Fortunately, there is an ingame solution for this problem already.

 

Gunship crusade!

 

Anytime I need a new target and there's no one thoughtfully flying through my targeting reticle, I cycle through the list of targets looking for Gunships. If I find one nearby, I go kill it. If it's at a different control point, I grumble a bit over the wasted travel time and then go kill it. If it's completely across the map and the match isn't in imminent danger of being lost, I'll probably go kill it.

 

For greater effect, enlist a friend to join the hunt.

 

And of course because I don't like enemy gunships and am irked that they are being used by the enemy at all instead of engaging in glorious honorable combat, I will vigorously defend our own (quality) Gunships to give 'em a taste.

[Mallorik]

I think gunships are cheap and stupid too, but I just look at them as an added challenge, always keep your eyes out for one in range, break los if ones on you, come around and nuke him.

[Yndras]

Put some damage reduction on then. A shot at full shields from a railgun is almost totally absorbed by the shield. The 300 or so hull damage is easily repaired with my companion skill and shields recharge. Once you know he's there he should never get a second shot. If they're quick they can maybe 2 shot a scout but again they should never get that second shot off.

 

Gunships are no real threat to me and if they had their range reduced they'd be crippled. They're already only 5km outside the effective combat envelope of a strike, if they had to be within dog fighting range to be effective there would be literally no point in flying one.

 

Railguns negate armour and have shield bleedthrough. You have one shot to alert you, and by then the second is coming. sure you can target them by using r but by the time you have tracked off to find them they have the second shot lined up.

 

I call ******** on the effective range argument. Most of my kills using the railgun come within the 6km range and usually while i AM dogfighting.

 

They do not NEED the range, they have it, and it is too much. Hence the thread.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Yndras