Armonddd Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) There are obviously a number of pilots I'm not familiar with, but I didn't mention Aimbot because I was under the impression he had quit. Likewise, a few months ago when I was asked about the best scouts, I didn't mention Scrab because I didn't think he was playing. I mean, I still think Silentwinter is one of the most clever and deadly gunship pilots I've ever seen, and Shock/Darkness was the single most dangerous gunship pilot I think this game has ever seen, but neither of them have logged in for about a year. I'm also hesitant to mention Phil and Vex because of build optimization -- Phil runs a Mangler with plasma/slug and Vex runs a Jurg with... clusters?. Skill-wise, they're very good at their builds (and are quite possibly better at their builds than others are with optimized builds), but ion is just so good that not having it makes you less scary than other pilots I could name. Thus also my thoughts about (what I've seen of) Drako's gunship: too much slug, not enough ion. The ion does happen, and it's scary when it does, but needs moar. Edited July 11, 2015 by Armonddd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaximilianPower Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) I'm baffled how guys like yourself and Vexxial get left out of these lists. Mikaboshi, Aimbot, Etri, Harfang, Phil, and Tsukiyomi should definitely be in the conversation as well. I only recently got to see Vexx in action, but I'm impressed by what he can do in a mostly-stock GS. SithAce used to play on JC (I think he still pops in occasionally) and was certainly good, but I never thought of him as primarily a GS guy. I guess that's changed. In order, I usually rank them on their ability to notice that they're being hit and their time to respond to such. Sam Xi'ao Gunsheep Despon Etrii Maximillian, depending on the day swapping spots with Despon I'm not really sure the rest of gunship pilots that I can mention really are in the same league as these guys. Re: the bolded...I've heard of Maximillian but never run into him. Where does he play? Everybody else on this list I've seen in action at one time or another. Edited July 11, 2015 by MaximilianPower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickDagles Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) I'm also hesitant to mention Phil and Vex because of build optimization -- Phil runs a Mangler with plasma/slug and Vex runs a Jurg with... clusters?. Skill-wise, they're very good at their builds (and are quite possibly better at their builds than others are with optimized builds), but ion is just so good that not having it makes you less scary than other pilots I could name. . Eh, I dunno I think there's a lot of legitimacy to their builds. Not everyone can pull them off, but they clearly get results doing what they're doing. And for Vexxial that includes performing very well in Super Serious nights against 8-12 extremely skilled players with optimized builds. I run a directional shield/powerdive Condor as well as the typical Quarrel build. In Deathmatch I usually have a lot more success with the Condor, especially if I can get my hands on a few damage overcharge pickups. In Domination I wouldn't pick the Condor over the Quarrel in a serious game because the ion is just too good to give up. But I play mostly bomber and scout in Domination anyway. Tsukiyomi also runs a feedback shield/power dive Condor. Edited July 11, 2015 by RickDagles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickDagles Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) best i've seen is huggy-bear... i've never been so thoroughly made another pilot's ***** the way huggy farms me. Huggy also has a good Condor. He runs DF/powerdive/interdiction missile/running interference or wingman Try using a BLC/pod/DF/retro/running interference build on him, it works the best. He loves to joust around nodes, so get ready to take advantage. Quad/Pod/DF/Retro/Wingman is also quite good, although much less versatile. Also try running your own Condor against him. That's what's so cool about the Condor. All the top Condor pilots run different builds: Lasers/Directional/Retro/Cluster/Regen/Wingman BLC/Directional/Power Dive/Cluster/Turning/Wingman BLC/Feedback/Power Dive/Cluster/Regen/Hydrospanner (lol) BLC/DF/Power Dive/Interdiction/Regen?/Running Interference or Wingman Edited July 11, 2015 by RickDagles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telos Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 okay, i should probably make a list, besides the one i've already mentioned, who is the best at gsf. as i only play on harbinger, my list pretty much includes pub side. huggy-bear...esponsolida...serenity.....pellad.......any of the eat a burger characters yeah, i can't kill any of those gunship pilots. especially the four i've mentioned. the burgers are not great pilots 1v1. i have never been out flown by any of them. what they do is cover each other's backs. you'll be chasing war around, working his shields and BAM whata gets you. or you'll be running from war and whata and BAM princess snipes you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fractalsponge Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Eh, I dunno I think there's a lot of legitimacy to their builds. Not everyone can pull them off, but they clearly get results doing what they're doing. And for Vexxial that includes performing very well in Super Serious nights against 8-12 extremely skilled players with optimized builds. I run a directional shield/powerdive Condor as well as the typical Quarrel build. In Deathmatch I usually have a lot more success with the Condor, especially if I can get my hands on a few damage overcharge pickups. In Domination I wouldn't pick the Condor over the Quarrel in a serious game because the ion is just too good to give up. But I play mostly bomber and scout in Domination anyway. Tsukiyomi also runs a feedback shield/power dive Condor. I've played against Vex and Tsuky in T3s. They are both quite good, but I think their builds (let's be honest it's really just pdive, the rest is almost incidental) are optimized for high K/D mostly compared to the "vanilla" T1 that pretty much all the other top gunshippers run. Both become dangerous when supported - when effectively they become hard-to-kill man-markers, drawing off attention or harassing key enemy players but they have a hard time moving the needle by themselves. Domination especially because they don't have ion rail. They can get good results for themselves but I think they could help their teams much more by running T1s and just accepting they will die more. Depends on what one cares about more, and not dying is certainly a perfectly valid goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiaowZedong Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) Vex runs (or ran for a long time) Retros though. Though I agree with your general point, that Ion railgun is generally (more than) worth accepting the weaknesses of the T1 GS. Ion rail is just incredibly strong when fully upgraded. For what it's worth, I'd say the hybrid T3 GS is more self-sufficient but ultimately this is a team game and you're better off using the T1 to work with your team in serious matches. Edited July 11, 2015 by MiaowZedong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magira Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 (edited) MMO-RPG. Is everywhere and very good. Edited July 12, 2015 by Magira Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramalina Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 I've played against Vex and Tsuky in T3s. They are both quite good, but I think their builds (let's be honest it's really just pdive, the rest is almost incidental) are optimized for high K/D mostly compared to the "vanilla" T1 that pretty much all the other top gunshippers run. Both become dangerous when supported - when effectively they become hard-to-kill man-markers, drawing off attention or harassing key enemy players but they have a hard time moving the needle by themselves. Domination especially because they don't have ion rail. They can get good results for themselves but I think they could help their teams much more by running T1s and just accepting they will die more. Depends on what one cares about more, and not dying is certainly a perfectly valid goal. As far as I know Tsuk runs the T3 as a preference matter rather than a lack of skill with the T1 Ion-Slug style. It's a bit more scout resistant if you are known enough to get focused, and top end output is a bit lower, which may help keep from being bored to tears by, "this is too easy." The increased mobility also helps with getting to the other side of the map if you've killed all of the targets on the side you're currently on. At any rate, I know from experience that Tsuk knows how to get full use out of Ion Railgun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fractalsponge Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 As far as I know Tsuk runs the T3 as a preference matter rather than a lack of skill with the T1 Ion-Slug style. It's a bit more scout resistant if you are known enough to get focused, and top end output is a bit lower, which may help keep from being bored to tears by, "this is too easy." The increased mobility also helps with getting to the other side of the map if you've killed all of the targets on the side you're currently on. At any rate, I know from experience that Tsuk knows how to get full use out of Ion Railgun. I never meant to imply that he couldn't run the normal T1 build. I think he would do better for his team if he did - I think we're pretty much agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickDagles Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I've played against Vex and Tsuky in T3s. They are both quite good, but I think their builds (let's be honest it's really just pdive, the rest is almost incidental) are optimized for high K/D mostly compared to the "vanilla" T1 that pretty much all the other top gunshippers run. Both become dangerous when supported - when effectively they become hard-to-kill man-markers, drawing off attention or harassing key enemy players but they have a hard time moving the needle by themselves. Domination especially because they don't have ion rail. They can get good results for themselves but I think they could help their teams much more by running T1s and just accepting they will die more. Depends on what one cares about more, and not dying is certainly a perfectly valid goal. I agree that the T1 is a better choice with proper support. But I also think you're downplaying the importance of regen/turning thrusters, range capacitors, and cluster missiles. Sometimes those things make it worthwhile jousting against scouts, and that can save some precious time. IMO it's also a lot less risky nabbing damage overcharges with a Condor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fractalsponge Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I agree that the T1 is a better choice with proper support. But I also think you're downplaying the importance of regen/turning thrusters, range capacitors, and cluster missiles. Sometimes those things make it worthwhile jousting against scouts, and that can save some precious time. IMO it's also a lot less risky nabbing damage overcharges with a Condor. Regen (and maaaaaybe pdive, depending on the goals for the build) is the one thing that shines in the T3 toolkit. Everything else I think is an illusory (or very situational) advantage. The most worthwhile joust against a scout is one that doesn't happen, really. You're almost better off dying and then getting a new firing position as soon as possible rather than spending the time to nail a scout. Don't get me wrong, I like dogfighting in gunships, but I wouldn't say it's the best use of my time if I wanted to win a match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALaggyGrunt Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Regen (and maaaaaybe pdive, depending on the goals for the build) is the one thing that shines in the T3 toolkit. Everything else I think is an illusory (or very situational) advantage. The most worthwhile joust against a scout is one that doesn't happen, really. You're almost better off dying and then getting a new firing position as soon as possible rather than spending the time to nail a scout. Don't get me wrong, I like dogfighting in gunships, but I wouldn't say it's the best use of my time if I wanted to win a match. If they throw two or three scouts at you, that's two or three scouts who aren't trying to kill your team. Then again, with the typical pugs on JC, that tends to not help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommmsunb Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Listen to Xi'ao on this one, there's a very good reason I include him in the top 2 gunship players in the game and it's the opposite reason I included Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fractalsponge Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 If they throw two or three scouts at you, that's two or three scouts who aren't trying to kill your team. Then again, with the typical pugs on JC, that tends to not help. Yeah I don't like ceding that much control over the match to teammates, except when I'm running in a 4+ man group. Plus the only scouts that really matter, the rare kind like tom, drako, scrabs, couple SL'ers I play with, will shut a gunship down 1v1 (maybe not kill a pdive spammer, but definitely render useless), never mind 2v1 or 3v1. At that point best to maximize your damage and disruption potential and take your respawn trips when you have to, imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SithAceI Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I think it boils down to this, while considering what everyone has said: Type three GS's are the best SoloQ option when q-ing with pug's. They can defend themselves (no need for peels) and can without Ion, only kill targets, not support other players. That's probably why when ya see me solo q I am in a Jurg/Condor. When I am in a team I usually run support type ships. I think it also lends itself to what you originally flew the most in the beginning. I was always a scout pilot not a GS pilot so when the Jurg/Condor came out it reminded me of a Sting/Flash with a railgun. And I tend to fly it like a type two scout not like a gunship. And I agree its largely a single player ship for achievements and/or stats etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavaar Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Type three GS's are the best SoloQ option when q-ing with pug's. They can defend themselves (no need for peels) and can without Ion, only kill targets, not support other players. You took the words right out of my mouth. The T3 gunship absolutely can not compete with the T1 gunship when the T3 is attempting to fill the role the the T1 was built for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickDagles Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I think it boils down to this, while considering what everyone has said: Type three GS's are the best SoloQ option when q-ing with pug's. They can defend themselves (no need for peels) and can without Ion, only kill targets, not support other players. Yep, well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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