Helicopter and AAs

[Swado95]

Seems to me that Helicopters are too easily shot down. I know most of you will be like (WELL THEN YOU NEED TO LEARN TO FLY BETTER). Well ive flown b4 and im ok but from watching some you tube videos I haven't seen any helicopters diving like seen by most people in pr. Most are low flying in support with the inf or armor. I guess what im saying is it seems like there are too many AA for the size of most of these bf2 maps. This makes it hard to get kill (yes i know its not bout kills entirely) but that's what its for. Even with flares alot of times i can be all the way out to the barriers b4 the AA lock comes off on Muttah city.

Way it can be improved.

1. Give helicopters more maneuverability ( easier to dive/move out of the way)

2. Less fog (higher up less chance for AA to lock dont think this is possible since limitations of bf2 engine)

3. Less AAs allowed per map.

4. if locked on more time to deploy flare before getting hit.

5. Less range for AA's or less chance of hitting ( less accurate)

[jerkzilla]

This is an age old discussion but...
As I understand it, pilots fly high in PR because if they were to fly low, they'd get blown to tiny bits by tank, TOW,HAT or APC fire. That, in turn, happens because the maps are so small, choppers don't have room to maneuver and maybe radar, but I'm not sure which chopper would have what capabilities though.

The way I see it, AA and radar are the only in-game variables that could be tweaked to make choppers fly nape-of-the-earth.

[Swado95]

What im saying about making the chopper more easier to drive. There are many times were if you angle your nose or pull to heavily to the side you go into a death dive. Or make it so when going into a attack you dont have to lose so much height. Because really the helicopter are suppose to be able to aim down and fly forward since the rotor is can be tilted.

[PatrickLA_CA]

I agree with the OP, the AA locks and kills too fast even with flares aka flares are useless...

[Kain888]

It's fine as it is. Good pilots who are not acting recklessly are alive most of time, bad pilots - who are on their own instead of relying on targets from their spotter and team - are dead. If team keeps you informed about contacts and enemy AA then you hardy will get killed.

[Swado95]

Even with spotter ( even though when you ask for targets on some severs nobody even says None) the flares are pointless. There is a reason for the anyoing buzzing noise coming up ( other then saying your about to die) it means your getting locked onto and tells you THEN to drop flares, which sadly are pointless as of now, because the missiles lock on too fast.

[Zoddom]

its fine as it is now. AAs are no lasers. and jsut use flares right, then they will work....
if you are waiting for the sound to come, youre begging to get killed.
and enough of my SAMs dont hit or explode some metres behind or in front of the target with no effect at all. and I usually dont even get locked on when going in.
edit: @ swado:
it would be both unrealistic and stupid to make AAs lock later. It would make Helis immortal, cause they wouldnt even need to worry about AAs, jsut drop flares when its buzzing and youre safe.
and irl theres no lock on warning AT ALL. at least not for jets, and most helicopters can only detect missiles which are already flying are just being launched.... if at all.

[Shepard]

I tend to think AAs sometimes lock on too quickly, if you hear the AA lock on and havent immediatly pressed the flares button (u do have a few other things on your mind at the time, eg the noob firing the minigun) you will go down. I suggest a extra second or 2 on lock on's for AA

[Swado95]

Ya an extra second or 2 would be nice considering how long of range they have.

[Oddsodz]

I will say this only once.

Learn how to user FLARES.

They are there to stop you getting locked in the 1st place. Not to save your *** after you have been locked. So deploy flares before you go into a hot zone.

[mat552]

We only get 30 of them Odds, and we're forced to break them out six at a time. Doing the math means you only get five deployments, the method of deployment is left over from vbf2 where he had an infinite amount to work with.

It's very easy to blow all 30 at the maximum effective time and still remain within AA range. If they had a bigger range, or fell slower, they'd be effective.

[Mora]

There are not enough flares to do that really. If we are talking transport choppers maybe. But for other choppers there are not enough flares.

[Swado95]

The few place they do work are the places where you can get under cover, like city maps. And even though you do that, your then put at risk of getting shot down by a tank or something since the map is so small.

[Tarranauha200]

If you get AA lock, do sharp turn while releaseing flares. When you hear that sound, you have been already locked for 2 secs and missile is propably already on its way. When you get AA lock, report it to others and send someone to kill it.

At least I have survived most AA locks.

[amazing_retard]

Wow Nerf AA? It is really rare for me to get shot down by AA, most of the time it's by armor....

[Tim270]

Imo choppers need the 1 flare per button press rather than 6 like jets, it would allow pilots to flare a lot more and save them for when they need them, instead of having to think well im not going to have enough to get back so I wont bother flaring the approach etc.

The current situation is fine imo, choppers just need some more flares and be able to drop less at a time. Staying alive in a transport chopper is a hell of a lot easier than people make out.

[chrisweb89]

Btw with the current flares they are very glitchy when it comes to protecting you. I have shot down choppers strafing and doing as anyone on these forums would say they should(popping flares during the run, and keeping a constant spread of them to avoid lock, moving fast and only staying out for the time needed), easily with AAs by firing into the flares or locking a flares and then the missile just kills the copper through a proximity kill, or sometimes locks the chopper 10m away after it loses sight on a flare. They do their job most of the time but there are just so many times when flares just attract missiles or do nothing that they need to be redesigned to block the lock, and keep the missiles away from aircraft, not attract the missiles to the flares which is usually just 20m away. CA did a system where the flares blocks the lock and doesn't make a heat signature which meant you needed to get them between you and the AA which seems like a much better system than can be currently done.

[Mora]

Do the AA missiles actually explode when they come near a flare? Because they should be. I remember they didnt in vbf2. They just passed through and broke off to somewhere else.

[Jonathan_Archer_nx01]

Ok, pilots! And now let's see a completely different opinion. What infantrymen think about AAs':
https://www.realitymod.com/forum/f257-v ... ctive.html

It's.....ridiculous

[saXoni]

It seems to me that you haven't thought about how to take out the AAs. If you have a lase on the AA its fairly easy.
You may dive straight down with all attack-choppers. And if you have a lase, you just need a marker to know where it is. As you are right above it, with about 800-1000 ALT, dive straight down. As you see the ground, drop flares. 12 flares should be enough. Wait for the "I've got lock", and fire off a couple of LT Hellfires on the lasertarget. If the lase doesn't disappear while the missiles are on its way, you will hit it.
After firing the missiles, break away. The smartest way to break is towards your main base. Drop some flares as you move out of the AA-area, just in case the AA is still up, or if the second AA is in the same area, or if there is a manpad in the area. Remember to keep some altitude, in case there are any armor in the area, that might kill you.

Remember that you shouldn't have your throttle at 100% as you dive down. This will do that you're speed is too high, and you will most likely crash into the ground.

If you follow these steps, as I do every time I'm going to take out an AA, you will survive 95% of the time.

I hope this gave you a little hint about how to take out AAs.