[Helicopter] - Single Flare Drop

[GoreZiad]

0:44 - 0:47 looks like a flare.

YouTube Video

[DanishPride]

the singleflare would make it impossible to get shot down ... that is litteraly sorry to say shit
for instance us choppers in barracuda and muttrath would never get shot down unless a nilla noob gets in

[GoreZiad]

Originally Posted by DanishPride

the singleflare would make it impossible to get shot down

Not impossible, but harder. I tend to get shot down quite much, and I've completely given up AA roles because it's just as hard now as it would be with singleflares.

[wookimonsta]

hmm, maybe instead of a flare that attracts AA, you can drop a coloured smoke flare that uses lighter than air gases. that way you could have a straight column of couloured smoke going up from where you dropped it. could be useful to mark certain positions.

[McBumLuv]

Single flares could only get implemented if the AA was revamped and the entire flare dispense method and effectiveness was also changed.

For instance, if Pr used it's current flare system with single flare drops, then helicopters wobe able to stay in AA range for 6 times the length that it can now. So, it could literally just fly up to an AA emplacement, shoot it, and fly out, all the while dispensing one flare every second and returning with half or so of it's flare load untapped.

So, if this suggestion would be implemented, it would make any smart helicopter pilot impossible to shoot down, and would make AA pretty much useless. So, it would really have to be modeled after CA's flare system if they wanted to make the leap and change the flare system to this.

[GoreZiad]

Originally Posted by McLuv

For instance, if Pr used it's current flare system with single flare drops, then helicopters wobe able to stay in AA range for 6 times the length that it can now. So, it could literally just fly up to an AA emplacement, shoot it, and fly out, all the while dispensing one flare every second and returning with half or so of it's flare load untapped.

I don't fully understand it? They drop 4 at a time now, how'd 1 at a time make them harder to shoot down?

[wookimonsta]

they could drop them over a large period of time, and in bf2, a single flare is basically enough to disrupt aa.

[Celestial1]

1 at a time = less ammo used = longer use of the ammo.

However, it could be made as a firemode on choppers that would dispense a flare and have a vbf2 style reload (delay time before next dispense).

However, I don't think it'd be all that useful. If it all comes down to marking a target, be on TS/mumble and call out that you will hover over the target in 3(...2...1... over the target now) and SLs can mark it on their maps.

[McBumLuv]

Originally Posted by GoreZiad

I don't fully understand it? They drop 4 at a time now, how'd 1 at a time make them harder to shoot down?

They have always dropped 6 at a time, unless it's been changed

Anyways, with the current BF2 ported flares in PR, any flare is enough to disrupt a lock signal. To counter this, the "balancing" feature implemented has been that you can't hear the lock until a second or so after it's actquired the lock, to simulate it "being in flight" before detection.

HOWEVER, it is easy (especially with jets), to simply drop a single flare for every second or so (however long it takes to acquire a lock) whenever in AA territory, so that they are practically invulnerable. Currently, the only thing that allows helicopters to die due to AA is either:

1) The pilot not proactively dropping flares (IE, without a lock) because they only have 5 batches and cannot fly in and out of an area on those 5 batches. They therefore preserve the flares until they get locked on, which either means that the missile has hit them and they've died, or they make it out alive and RTB.
2) On larger maps where the AA location is known, helicopter pilots may enter the area, start flaring, and run out before they completely exit the threat danger zone.

That pretty much sums up the use of flares in PR. Unless the entire flare system is changed, having single flare drops would completely make points 1 and two irrelevent, and therefore helicopters would be "impervious" to any AA by the simple fact that they never need to put themselves into any possible AA locations without small flares escorting them.

So... the question to anyone deciding whether to implement this is:

1) Do I want to implement this on it's own (and unbalance the entire AA system, meaning any pilot with half a brain could survive the entire round) ?
2) Do I want to implement it, but revamp the entire flare system as well ?
3) Do I not want to implement it, and leave it as is ?

I can tell you already, each and every Dev has already eliminated 1) from their list, so if you want this to transgress into anything you're going to need to sway them to implement 2), and find ways to keep AA balanced (which, remember, overpowered can also stay balanced).

[Sparatan117]

I for one think its a stuipd idea to drop a single flare. Flares are used for anti missles, not for target marking. Not to mention a flare launcher only holds 36 flares. No more, no less. Now if the PR guys want to remove the singer missles from the apache wings (which aren't supposed to be there in the first place anyways), then you could put 2 more holders...which is currently how we have our birds rigged at the 151th

The hydra smoke idea was good for Fixed wing. Props.

but for helicopters (gunships) there needs to be some sort of annoying in your face, this target needs to be hit sorta thing.
Maybe give ground squads a grenade launcher (shouldn't be hard to skin the vietnam one) so that far off distance targets can be marked. or maybe just improve the laser designator system. I sat there in a game tonight for 3 minutes while attack helicopters, and the a10 flew over head and none of them hit the target on hand.

Short summary, I do not condone the use of a single flare just to mark a targets position.
SPC. Ross 151th ARB