TV Missiles
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[edit] TV Missiles by Tycho
So. You've got yourself a comfy little spot in a helicopter, or maybe even one of those coveted Lay-z-boys that they stick in a bomber. Congratulations! Time to mess some stuff up. Today, we're going to learn all about the TV Guided Missile, or TV Missile for short.
[edit] What You're Seeing:
Go ahead and switch to that missile (right click, at least in a chopper). Eeew! It's okay: you'll get used to it. You're seeing a grainy, small, black and white picture of the battlefield, pointed at an odd angle from whatever vehicle you're sitting in. What are those hatchmarks on the side? Are those things buttons? It's pretty freaky. Don't despair, though. From this rather ugly location, you can dispense all manner of pain. There, in the center, is your crosshair. This thing's really freaking important. You've also got a little box around the crosshair. That's basically decoration. Try moving your crosshair around all 4 corners, to get a feel for how far you can aim.
[edit] What You're Doing:
What? You're admiring the pretty scratches on the TV lens? Stop that! Unless you've got some sort of hot-shot pilot who never takes damage nor uses ammo, you're never going to use up all your TV missiles before it's time to repair/reload (you don't have a lot, but they take a while to reload). So guess what? Whether you've just taken off, or you just realized you're a gunner (maybe you were AFK or something, heh), you're going to fire a missile. "But Tycho!" you say. "I have no target!" Shut up and shoot, soldier. Aim vaguely in the direction of wherever you think the bad guys live. This will be a reconaissance (aka "French word I can't spell") shot, and a chance to learn how to use the missile.
[edit] So You've Fired Your First Missile:
Weee! Zooming around is fun, eh? If anyone happens to be spectating you right now, they get a pretty neat 3rd person view of your missile flying around. Isn't that neat? Anyways, you're heading really fast, probably towards the ground and hopefully towards the enemy. That's good. You're going to hit the ground soon, though, and we want to fix that. Aim a bit above the horizon (or as close as you can get), and click. Wowee! Course correction! Let's talk a bit about this in depth:
[edit] Steering Your TV Missile:
Once a missile is fired, you can aim in any direction you choose and click. This will steer the missile in that direction. You can do this in rapid succession: aim up and click a whole lot, and your missile will attempt a vertical 180 (good luck). There's probably a limit to the number of clicks you get to steer a missile with, but you generally don't run into it. Why? You're going to hit something first.
[edit] Back to The Present:
Okay, so you can steer this thing. Hopefully you're no longer about to crash. But now you're at the enemy base, right? Quick! Start looking at things! If you see anything big and juicy, like a stationary tank or a pyramid of men (unlikely), try to steer yourself into one of them. Mostly, though, you're here for recon. Tell your pilot what you see. If it's empty, you guys can ignore it, or if you're in at attack helo you can even try to capture it. If there's stuff there, well, alert your pilot. It's time to start doing the real work.
[edit] It Also Kills Things: The TV Missile Unleashed
Screw scouting! Let's get to fightin'. Once you're close enough to a target, such as a tank, you'll be able to see it before you fire your missile. All you really have to do is aim and click. If it doesn't look like you're going to hit your target, aim again and click again; you'll steer right to that sucker. Practice makes perfect. Stationary targets aren't so bad, but don't expect to hit enemy helicopters with your first couple of missiles. Don't worry, you'll get better. There is good news though: all you have to worry about is accuracy. You want to know how much damage this does? I'll tell you how much damage this thing does.
The TV Missile Does About A Bazillion Damage Yeah, uh, that pretty much sums it up. This kills anything you feel like hitting. It probably kills commander assets too, but I feel sort of dirty doing that. Don't worry about killing something as flimsy as an M1A1 Abrams Tank. It's dead meat.
[edit] Communication Is Key
We've got damage and aiming out of the way, so all that's left is basic TV ethics. Communication with the pilot is key. You want the missile to be headed in the right direction the second you fire it, instead of relying on subsequent course corrections. Since your aiming window is rather small, you'll have to call out to your pilot which direction to go. I generally say something like "enemy armor on our left" and he either goes left or does some crazy 156 degree flip to avoid a jet that I didn't notice. You could also try "take me left or I jump, I swear it" or "I've always harbored secret feelings for you deep inside my heart" but I find it's best to keep it simple and free of thinly-veiled homoerotic sexual innuendo.
[edit] Stop Worrying and Love the Missile
And last of all, chill. It might not feel powerful the first couple of times you send one of these babies hurling into a tree (I swear, I was aiming for that AA gun), but this missile is a heck of a force multiplier. As a gunner, you don't even have to worry about evasive moves. Just sit back, aim, and fire. Sure, things can get frantic (more so if your target is about to launch heat seeking missiles at you), but as far as Battlefield 2 goes, your job is pretty well defined. There are few unknown variables. It's just you, your pilot, and your missile. So godpseed. Or at least, rocket speed. Those things are freaking fast.
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