TEMM

So i was watching the Military Channel the other day and there was a show about USAF pilots training with a german air force unit that flys the Mig-29 Fulcrum. And the show described the weapons loadout of both the Fulcrum and the FA18 Hornet, and both of these jets IRL have WAY better tracking missiles then their counterparts in BF2.

The Fulcrum has less advanced weapons than the F18: Short range IR guided missiles, much like BF2's except they it was explicitely stated that these missiles have i higher field of IR vision from their cameras so they can track targets and turn more accurately during high speed dogfights making them much more lethal than USAF IR guided missiles when used in close in fights. The Fulcrum is also armed with medium range radar guided missiles that are good for firing before entering an engagement, but have much less range then the USAF counterparts.

The F18 is armed with long range AMRAAM and Sparrow missles (both are radar guided) and Sidewinders. The AMRAAM and Sparrow missiles can be fired up to 30 miles from the target and the sidewinder has a range of 20 Miles.

Now my complaint about the BF2 missiles isnt the range, it would be annoying to get shot down by a plane that wasnt even close to being on screen as a MEC or Chinese pilot. But the short range missles on the Mig at least should be much more lethal in a close in dogfight. Hell ALL of the short range IR missiles should be much more lethal. I know from the show that the Mig's IR missles can follow jets that are flying 90 degree turns and still track and kill the target, but the missiles in BF2 get lost after a single 45 degree or greater turn. Even worse they sometimes miss during level straight flight!

I dont want the lethality modified too much, because it might change the "fun"level of BF2's air game, but i would like to see the missiles require some more advanced piloting to out maneuver.

StrikeFear

I'm not sure how that would change things.

But currently, 2 of the main pieces that set apart the good pilots from the truly dangerous are:
1. Gun kills
2. Understanding the VERY fine points of missile use: both avoidance and getting hits.

It may sound like I just included everything - I mean, that's the jet's armament right? Guns and missiles, duh.

But gun kills are very hard. And hitting a pilot (who KNOWS how to evade missiles) with a missile is HARD. And avoiding missiles (without just maintaining a relatively useless tight turn) is HARD. Those things separate the good from the frightening.

And I like that.

__________________
"You live and learn. Or you don't live long."
- Lazarus Long

wrcromagnum

i think avoiding missiles is easy.

birdie_in_Texas

hell..from what i see, most pilots in BF2 just hover there and blast you with guns...

a very few actually are good enough to drop bombs on your butt..and some just crash into you and kill you!

__________________

Levi

hover? you're going to let a VTOL aircraft in a hover kill you? If so-you deserve to die lol. They're the least maneuvarable vehicles in the game in VTOL mode.

Incidentally I get the majority of my AA kills with my guns-missles are weak. The only time they're effective is after you pester an opponent with a continuous lock, shoot one missle on a straight shot, make him blow his flares, then gun his tail (preferably the tip of the top until he's smoking, then when he trys to AB it back for a flyby repair AB with him until you're 50 meters away if possible and pop 2 missles. Kills em every time. But-if someone gets in the corkscrew sideways loop of doom with me I get bored to easily. I like my flight sims too much and that kind of stuff, even in an arcade engine, irritates me.