14 replies to this topic

[Blue Pheonix]

The air control perk in the in the incursion mode needs to do more damage to at least repel a light lance. Right now, the damage is insufficient.

Air control should be one of the most useless perks to get (usually why it is picked last) unless someone takes a gamble, gets the air control perk and the enemy is in the process of rushing the base. This is where the air control perk should shine.

Right now, every single time I have gotten the air control perk. One single light or medium can completely, or almost destroy the base with the perk active. This shouldn't happen. The air control perk is supposed to prevent that from happening.

The air control perk should be able to be strong enough to repel (and kill if they do not heed it) a lance of light mechs. This perk is supposed to prevent the dreaded early game base rush and encourage mechs to fight.

Right now the perk is not doing its job. The damage per second of the air control perk needs to be increased enough to where light lances stay clear of the enemy base if active or run out like hell if they are already in the base where they will have to wait for the perk to deactivate if they want to continue their base assault.

PGI, please increase the damage per second of the air control perk.

[El Bandito]

Air control calls dropship on the enemy base only. It is not meant to protect your own base. It is not meant to prevent early rushes (that's your job), but to prevent base turtling by the other team.

Edited by El Bandito, 08 May 2017 - 08:22 PM.

[razenWing]

El Bandito, on 08 May 2017 - 08:20 PM, said:

Air control calls dropship on the enemy base only. It is not meant to protect your own base. It is not meant to prevent early rushes (that's your job), but to prevent base turtling by the other team.

Now, what if Air Control Perk work like this... you can designate a starting point A to a end point B, always a fix distance of course...

The invincible hovership will then slowly go from point A to B for 2 minutes decimating anything underneath during the path (well, not decimating, but the same damage as right now). Both you and the enemy will be able to see this path on the map, so it's not a surprise or random.

Basically, it's now used as an area denial or lane closure. On some maps, this has devastating effect to force fight into position that you desire, and is truly a worth while perk. OR use it to kill turtles like it does now, or desperate attempt for base defense.

This is the thing about PGI that I don't get. They are so afraid that anything variables outside of mech to mech mayhem may affect experience, when in fact, the more niche you can add, the more fun there is to be had. Take another example, Radar Jammer for scouting reward stage 3. OH NOS! MY RADAR DISAPPEAR FOR 2 SECONDS, OH THE HUMANITY!

NOT

Like, if the jammer is literally a 30 second continuous blind, I say, damn, PGI, that's a good @ss reward, and definitely worth the effort of getting. A 2 second "inconvenience" is not an advantage nor remotely useful. Occasional maphack and permanent mech reveal is a LOT more useful.

(If they were to balance otherwise toward the low end instead of the high end, then make maphack final reward, mech revelation for only 10 seconds at a time for make that 2nd, and the first reward the brain-dead jammer. But that's super lame, I prefer if they adjust on the high side, and make jammer 30 seconds continuous, and everything else unchange)

[Nesutizale]

So you want a strafing run for the Dropship? Might wanna replace the dropship with an stronger airstrike then.
While I like the idea I have one problem that I just have with STO where you have some similar decission to make...who has the say in it?
Do you want some random guy who plays for the first time hand over your airstrike? Might hit your own people in the worst case.

Therefore I think the hovership is the best solution. Still they could do it make a bit more dynamik in that instead of just hovering it moves just very slowly.

[HGAK47]

All that damn thing ever seems to do is punish my light mech for returning to base with a powercell. Oh look enemy derpship overhead, "ouch......ouch....(stop shooting mah little locust!)"

Edited by HGAK47, 09 May 2017 - 04:01 AM.

[nitra]

I thought air controls was for battlefield aesthetics. you know make the sky look busy with a drop ship doing something . you know just to liven things up a lil. had no idea it was supposed to do damage . does it really do damage ?? who knew....

[Blue Pheonix]

El Bandito, on 08 May 2017 - 08:20 PM, said:

Air control calls dropship on the enemy base only. It is not meant to protect your own base. It is not meant to prevent early rushes (that's your job), but to prevent base turtling by the other team.

According to PGI:
https://mwomercs.com...ic-test-session

"When powered, the Air Control Tower will call in a friendly DropShip to hover over the Team Base and engage Enemy forces at a range of 540 meters.
The DropShip will maintain this defensive pattern for a period of 5 seconds before departing.
A new Dropship will arrive every 7-17 seconds, depending on the map, for as long as the Air Control Tower has power (2 minutes per Fuel Cell)."

Edited by Blue Pheonix, 09 May 2017 - 12:19 PM.

[El Bandito]

Blue Pheonix, on 09 May 2017 - 12:19 PM, said:

According to PGI:
https://mwomercs.com...ic-test-session

"When powered, the Air Control Tower will call in a friendly DropShip to hover over the Team Base and engage Enemy forces at a range of 540 meters.
The DropShip will maintain this defensive pattern for a period of 5 seconds before departing.
A new Dropship will arrive every 7-17 seconds, depending on the map, for as long as the Air Control Tower has power (2 minutes per Fuel Cell)."

They worded it too ambiguously. Dropship is offensive only.

[Blue Pheonix]

El Bandito, on 09 May 2017 - 05:02 PM, said:

They worded it too ambiguously. Dropship is offensive only.

Ah, I see.

If it offensive only then perhaps they could switch it to defense. We have never needed offensive help to assault a base before, don't need it now. What is needed is a way to stop the dreaded base rush. At least a way to gamble to stop it.

[El Bandito]

Blue Pheonix, on 09 May 2017 - 05:23 PM, said:

Ah, I see.

If it offensive only then perhaps they could switch it to defense. We have never needed offensive help to assault a base before, don't need it now. What is needed is a way to stop the dreaded base rush. At least a way to gamble to stop it.

With proper scouting on the flanks, you can stop it on most maps. On maps such as HPG it might be hard though.

[Insanity09]

Agreed, proper battlefield intel, which means actually having and paying attention to your scouts, is key to identifying and stopping base rushes.

However, since even 2 medium/heavy mechs can make short work of the entire base....

If the ACT dropship, which should be offensive AND defensive, were capable of actually killing an entire light lance (4 light mechs) that would be WAY WAY too potent.
A little more powerful than it is now wouldn't go amiss, however.

[Alexander of Macedon]

El Bandito, on 08 May 2017 - 08:20 PM, said:

Air control calls dropship on the enemy base only. It is not meant to protect your own base. It is not meant to prevent early rushes (that's your job), but to prevent base turtling by the other team.

I'm baffled by how people still don't understand this. Not only was it explained very clearly when Incursion dropped, it's bloody obvious that the Leopards are all flying over to the enemy base. Yet I still see people on Incursion whining "get air control to help keep them from base-rushing us!".

It's plenty potent as is, provided the enemy team is actually in range of it. Especially since such situations are usually ones where you've pinned them in their base, meaning that they either have to hide entirely or give the droppers their rear armor.

[JC Daxion]

They just need to add some more in game tips on the incursion load screen.



Radar, Tracking enemy movements

Jammer, Jams enemy radar and ECM at your own base.

Air control, Attack the enemy base with added help from your Drop ship..



These simple tips on the load screen would go a long way. verse you know people that do know this repeating themselves every game when someone loads up Jammer, or air control first..

Edited by JC Daxion, 10 May 2017 - 01:10 AM.

[Xetelian]

I'd very much like it if the drop ship could actually scare the turtles out of the base. I lost a game recently where we were 2 v 2 and both sides had taken damage but they ran into their base and hide with the turrets.


We called in airsupport 3 times and nothing. The clock ran out before dropships could kill one damaged mech.

[Insanity09]

The other thing to realize is that the drop ship does actually need line of sight.
It doesn't do true strafing runs, or even move around over the base much, it just stays in one spot once it arrives.
That means that it is entirely possible to hide from it so it doesn't do any damage to you at all.

If you're out in the open and/or not ready for it, it hurts.