Dr2B Rudd wrote:I say allow the choppers to lock on to ground vehicles, but they don't get the green box until they are locked on.
This is the good compromise. They are powerful...but they gotta find the target first.
Well yeah, but real choppers get FLIR to help you see.
Oh, and the current system is terrible. You HAVE to spam your missiles or you're a dead man. With the current laser guided system it's just ridiculous.
Speaking of which, we should have more differentiation between the helicopters. Cobras should have 8 Hellfires and 38 hydras. Same with the Apache. Cobras should have the 20mm Gatling, with 750 rounds of ammo, the Apache should have a 30mm auto-cannon with 1200 rounds of 30mm.
Mi-28 should get 300 rounds in the 30 mm auto cannon, 38 unguided rockets, and 16 ATGMs, and 2 AA missiles.
The Cobra should respawn faster in the game, but they do have to find the target themselves. No radar, so no dice when it comes to having targets pointed out to you. Say, the Cobra should respawn in 10 minutes.
The Apache should have targets pointed out within visual range. You get the radar, so obviously you should be able to see what's there. But the Apache should respawn in 15 minutes. Since the Mi-28 should be as armored as an Apache and it has twice as many ATGMs, it gets a 15 minute respawn time too.
All helos should be able to take direct hits and not go down from fire by anything less then 23mm. Unless it's a hit to the canopy, and it should only take up to 14.5mm without the pilots getting hurt or the aircraft getting hit. The Cobra shouldn't
Personally I think that concentrated fire should always take out Attack Helos. The Cobra should be just as powerful as the Apache, but without the radar and much less armor.
The Mi-28 should be as armored as the Apache. With more ATGMs but no radar.
The Apache should be extremely able to survive in a group of two. That's the max for any map in the game. The Mi-28 and Cobra should have 3 working together if it's an armor heavy map.
If the laser in PR actually went as fast as a real laser does, this would be less of a problem. The laser doesn't. Attack helicopters should be vulnerable to AA. Therefore, attack helicopters need to stick with armor or infantry. If an Apache sticks around giving firesupport to the armor and the armor saves the helicopter from getting destroyed, wasting huge amounts of tickets, then you've managed to keep an extremely valuable asset. If you have a single Linebacker or Tunguska around, supporting armor, you've basically eliminated the threat of attack helicopters. Then a formation of 2 Apaches or 3 Cobras/Mi-28s flanking the AA tank, destroying it, and then destroying the armor would be the only way. If you get spotted while trying to flank it's over. Flying up high would be suicide. You wouldn't be able to lock on to anything, since the fog means you're out of visual range for everything, and shooting your auto cannon would just be a big "SHOOT HERE!" sign for enemy AAVs.
CAS would still be extremely effective with Apaches and Cobras too. Assuming no AAVs show up and there aren't more then one or two tanks that wander in range, you'd be able to mow down just about everything for the moving squad. A formation of attack helicopters would make them unstoppable, assuming no one has AA.
Basically, attack helicopters should destroy anything that isn't meant to kill any flying aircraft. Jets would very handily shoot down helicopters if they have BVR missiles, with no chance of getting hit by the helicopter at all, tanks could get a lucky shot, a Tunguska, Linebacker, or any AAV is certain death if you don't get in cover and drop flares in time, concentrated .50 cal fire will take you down too, as will concentrated APC fire. Which basically means two APCs shooting at the helicopter, which would down it pretty fast.
If you have maybe 4 50 cals shooting at a helicopter, it should go down as fast as a helicopter does now with 1 50 cal. 1 HAT should be instant death. 1 LAT should instantly kill a cobra, but critical an Apache or Mi-28, to the point where rudder is gone and the cockpit vibrates violently and alarm bells are going off like no other.
So the attack helicopters are still vulnerable, but slightly toughened. Bullets should be less effective against attack helos, but rockets and the sort are still very deadly. Tank shells and APCs are also very deadly. Twenty APC rounds should make the Apache and Mi-28 go down, 10 should make the Cobra go down. Attack helicopters are essentially the only close air support that can advance with a squad every step of the way.
Attack helicopters should be a more important asset. An infantry squad should certainly be able to push through infantry, but attack helicopters would reduce casualties. I'm sick and tired of having to play an attack helicopter akin to only being effective against infantry. As soon as a fifty cal shows up attack helicopters are going down.
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