I'm not god of the helicopter. I'm just a guy who likes to fly them and is frustrated by the apparent lack of thought that some players put into the use of this incredibly powerful machine.
With that said, my flying is fair, my gunning is fair. Lots of people are better than me at both. However, as I've played this game I've learned that way more people are worse than me.
The vast majority of the time that I hop into a helicopter I end up with somebody that isn't a team player and doesn't seem to think about what their role is. Here are a few of my thoughts:
Pilots: As a gunner I end up with a pilot that is constantly swooping nose down over the battlefield at maximum speed laying down hellfire's. This makes it extremely difficult to use the gun. Sure, the gunner can get a few kills in, but nothing like even a relatively slow pass would allow. This also pretty much negates TV missiles as there is little or no time to aim while the nose of the chopper pitches wildly in an attempt to "nuke-da-noob" with the hellfire's.
Understand that the TV guided missile is an incredibly effective tool. It can kill any vehicle in one hit to the best of my knowledge. Your gunner can also use it to scout ahead and communicate that information back to you.
Don't be afraid to stick a position for a few seconds. Line your gunner up on an enemy position/vehicle and let him open up. After 5 - 10 seconds, change your position frequently. If you're good enough, and the terrain allows it, you could even circle the target while keeping your nose pointed at it.
Also, once a TV missile is fired feel free to move. Your gunner can continue to guide it while you change position or take evasive maneuvers.
Now I understand why pilots are going for the kill themselves, much of the time their gunners are virtually useless (discussed later). However, give your gunner a chance. Talk to them if you can, encourage them. In general, a pilot with an effective gunner is going to get a WAY WAY better score from driver kill assists than he would from doing it all himself.
Gunners: You guys need to pick your priorities. I often fly with gunners that I'm convinced are functionally retarded. First off, I'll invite them to my squad so I can voice with them and they never come! This happens as often with un-squadded individuals as it does with those already in a squad. I'm deeply confused by this. Do I smell? Then why the hell are you in the chopper with me?!?
Secondly, I'm somewhat convinced that they have had their eyes yanked from their skulls by a vacuum cleaner (don't try that at home). It's not uncommon for me to line up with a pack of enemies and have my gunner not shoot. I even throw in an enemy spotted and get nothing. Usually they'll start shooting around the time the anti-tank guys are throwing rockets at us... I admit, I sit to long while waiting for my gunner to shoot. Regardless, gunners don't be afraid to light up enemy held flags if you can see no friendlies on the mini-map. As you get experience you'll learn the places people hide on the various maps. Check the mini map for friendlies and fire into those areas. You'll be surprised how many kills you get. If you have a good run and you deplete your ammo just tell you're pilot, he'll get more
Thirdly, pick your target priorities. I understand the desire for the quick kill and the ubar point-age. However, if we get shot down because you didn't take out that AA gun first you're not getting any points! Obviously priorities will vary between players but these are mine:
1) AA guns/vehicles: These shoot you down fast.
2) Anything with a 50 cal that is occupied (jeeps/vodniks): The 50 cal seems much more effective vs. choppers w/ patch 1.3
3) Tanks, APCs, vehicles in general: Take these out with a TV missile. The helicopter can take a tank out in one shot with this. This will save teammate lives (points) and prevent vehicle damage. Both of these result in more deaths for the other team.
4) Soldiers: Just use your gun on these guys. I can't tell you how many times I've been with someone who trys to TV missile soldiers and fire the gun at a tank. Why are you doing this? Sure, I'll TV missile an individual if I have to but it's more effective to use the gun on them. Range issues and/or large tight groups are the only reason I TV missile soldiers. Even then it's pretty darn rare.
Sometimes the situation presents itself to shoot down the enemy helicopters. For the love of god use the TV missile first! If the chopper doesn't see you then you should have time to line up a decent shot. It's pretty difficult (at least for me) to hit the chopper with a TV missile unless it's standing still, but I've had a few really fantastic gunners who do it darn near every time (I love those guys). If you immediately start firing your gun then you've just announced your presence. A good pilot is going to get away, or worse, turn around and kill you (that's just embarrassing).
Teamwork: Obviously neither person can do their job if the other one isn't. A pilot who won't line up shots for the gunner has just screwed the gunner. A gunner that won't (or can't) shoot is no better than a passenger. You guys are a team! Communicate!
Helpful Links: As I've endeavored to become a better chopper pilot I've found lots of great resources on this website. With the exception of a single paragraph from the wiki, they focus basically on tactics... That one paragraph should really be in 72 point font...
With that said, my flying is fair, my gunning is fair. Lots of people are better than me at both. However, as I've played this game I've learned that way more people are worse than me.
The vast majority of the time that I hop into a helicopter I end up with somebody that isn't a team player and doesn't seem to think about what their role is. Here are a few of my thoughts:
Pilots: As a gunner I end up with a pilot that is constantly swooping nose down over the battlefield at maximum speed laying down hellfire's. This makes it extremely difficult to use the gun. Sure, the gunner can get a few kills in, but nothing like even a relatively slow pass would allow. This also pretty much negates TV missiles as there is little or no time to aim while the nose of the chopper pitches wildly in an attempt to "nuke-da-noob" with the hellfire's.
Understand that the TV guided missile is an incredibly effective tool. It can kill any vehicle in one hit to the best of my knowledge. Your gunner can also use it to scout ahead and communicate that information back to you.
Don't be afraid to stick a position for a few seconds. Line your gunner up on an enemy position/vehicle and let him open up. After 5 - 10 seconds, change your position frequently. If you're good enough, and the terrain allows it, you could even circle the target while keeping your nose pointed at it.
Also, once a TV missile is fired feel free to move. Your gunner can continue to guide it while you change position or take evasive maneuvers.
Now I understand why pilots are going for the kill themselves, much of the time their gunners are virtually useless (discussed later). However, give your gunner a chance. Talk to them if you can, encourage them. In general, a pilot with an effective gunner is going to get a WAY WAY better score from driver kill assists than he would from doing it all himself.
Gunners: You guys need to pick your priorities. I often fly with gunners that I'm convinced are functionally retarded. First off, I'll invite them to my squad so I can voice with them and they never come! This happens as often with un-squadded individuals as it does with those already in a squad. I'm deeply confused by this. Do I smell? Then why the hell are you in the chopper with me?!?
Secondly, I'm somewhat convinced that they have had their eyes yanked from their skulls by a vacuum cleaner (don't try that at home). It's not uncommon for me to line up with a pack of enemies and have my gunner not shoot. I even throw in an enemy spotted and get nothing. Usually they'll start shooting around the time the anti-tank guys are throwing rockets at us... I admit, I sit to long while waiting for my gunner to shoot. Regardless, gunners don't be afraid to light up enemy held flags if you can see no friendlies on the mini-map. As you get experience you'll learn the places people hide on the various maps. Check the mini map for friendlies and fire into those areas. You'll be surprised how many kills you get. If you have a good run and you deplete your ammo just tell you're pilot, he'll get more
Thirdly, pick your target priorities. I understand the desire for the quick kill and the ubar point-age. However, if we get shot down because you didn't take out that AA gun first you're not getting any points! Obviously priorities will vary between players but these are mine:
1) AA guns/vehicles: These shoot you down fast.
2) Anything with a 50 cal that is occupied (jeeps/vodniks): The 50 cal seems much more effective vs. choppers w/ patch 1.3
3) Tanks, APCs, vehicles in general: Take these out with a TV missile. The helicopter can take a tank out in one shot with this. This will save teammate lives (points) and prevent vehicle damage. Both of these result in more deaths for the other team.
4) Soldiers: Just use your gun on these guys. I can't tell you how many times I've been with someone who trys to TV missile soldiers and fire the gun at a tank. Why are you doing this? Sure, I'll TV missile an individual if I have to but it's more effective to use the gun on them. Range issues and/or large tight groups are the only reason I TV missile soldiers. Even then it's pretty darn rare.
Sometimes the situation presents itself to shoot down the enemy helicopters. For the love of god use the TV missile first! If the chopper doesn't see you then you should have time to line up a decent shot. It's pretty difficult (at least for me) to hit the chopper with a TV missile unless it's standing still, but I've had a few really fantastic gunners who do it darn near every time (I love those guys). If you immediately start firing your gun then you've just announced your presence. A good pilot is going to get away, or worse, turn around and kill you (that's just embarrassing).
Teamwork: Obviously neither person can do their job if the other one isn't. A pilot who won't line up shots for the gunner has just screwed the gunner. A gunner that won't (or can't) shoot is no better than a passenger. You guys are a team! Communicate!
Helpful Links: As I've endeavored to become a better chopper pilot I've found lots of great resources on this website. With the exception of a single paragraph from the wiki, they focus basically on tactics... That one paragraph should really be in 72 point font...
Anyway, that's my rant. /RantFirst and foremost, the attack chopper is a very deadly weapon, as you all know. If a well informed, intelligent pilot is flying, with a skilled gunner, you can pretty much keep the opposition’s advancement to a minimum. The design of the modern day attack chopper is meant for the gunner to be the most important person, not the pilot. The pilot is there mainly to keep the chopper out of harms way, and position the chopper for adequate and constant barrage of offense for the gunner. I’m pretty sure that EA meant to keep the same intent for the game, as the intent for the real life choppers. The reason I say this, is because of the driver assist points that a pilot gets when the gunner makes a kill. It’s enough motivation for the pilot to play his role correctly, and still get the points for doing his job. In a nutshell, the pilot is not there for the offense, but is there to place the chopper in a position for the gunner to wreak havoc on the opposition.
