I've been fairly skilled with a chopper for some time, but I'm always finding ways to improve my pilot skills. I only recently started devoting chopper time nightly, and found that there are TONS of people out there who cant fly, and cant gun.
I figure someone out here needed to put the word out on how to be a better gunner. Plus, why not make it a topic to find out what others think about their gunners, and what others might like to see in their gunners performance.
Who knows, a gunner might read this, be on a server with me.. and walla... actually meld with my flying style.
Rules:
1. Communication: This is a key element in a good squad. This also applies to a well greased Chopper team. Minimally, join your Pilots Squad. Hopefully the server that you are on supports VOIP, and you own a Microphone. If you cant VOIP, or Teamspeak then don't get in the chopper. You are a liability, and you will be the reason the chopper dies... fast.
2. Eyes and Ears: Scan the Horizon, Use the F10-F11 view screens. Let your pilot know if an enemy gunship is on his tail. If you spot a Tank, express "Armor, 6 o'clock 20 degrees declination". Learn some kind of code speak. Work with your pilot and He will get you those TV shots and kills. Please, do not waste your time sitting in the chair gunning in random directions.. and only using the chain gun view. If you have spotted an Armor or some kind of threat.. instantly change the view to the TV missile. Get ready to fire. You have variably 3-5 seconds before a Tank can hear a chopper spot aim and kill you in one shot. Do not hesitate. Aim and click. BTW "C" command has an alternate nose camera view and the front chopper nose disappears, assuming the admin didn't disable it. You can see better... trust me.
3. Aiming: Moving vehicles are... well.. Moving. If you aim at their midsection to tail, you will miss. Lead them, it makes for better hits.
4. Missile flights: when you launch your TV.. The missile flies off the rail about 5-8 feet before adjusting course and automatically veering to the place you clicked. Assuming you have proper distance. Don't continually click your mouse, it does no good and it will eventually cause you missiles to miss more often. Micromanagement of missiles is a science. Practice on stationary targets like signs, tree's.
Heaven forbid you EVER test fire a TV missile as your Pilot is coming in to the landing pad to heal. There is splash damage. The TV will KILL YOU. I cant stand this and I will TK you for idiocy.
5. Chain gun: It overheats. Don't use it on full tilt. It will become a useless piece of junk and you will be the reason we die. Aim your chain gun slightly in the front of the vehicle or person. Shoot small short bursts of 2-4 seconds. If the gun is at 1/2 heat, lower the number of seconds in spurt. this will maximize your ability to fire. Practice as a Support with a PKM. You'll get to understand barrel overheating.
5. Watch your HUD: Thats the small map in the upper right of your combat screen. It shows friendlies in Blue. It shows enemy in red if spotted. Hit your "M" key to bring up the overhead map. if the Chopper is headed towards red, ten your pilot has a bead on an enemy target. Could be a Tank, could be a Mobile AA. Get your TV up and be ready. Don't wait for your pilot. If he stops for 1 second and that Tank is in your view. Click and bombs away. I have a couple of gunners in my teamspeak. We've coasted thru the gully on Ghost town, and come up and over buildings with merely 1/2 a second of window and they fire. blam, the armor is dead.
6. Fire when you're told to fire: I cant count the number of times my gunners said.."Oh, I couldn't see anything.. there he is". We either died from a Tank blast or killed an Armor just at the visual edge of my distance. I have an awesome video card and I see things that some people don't have a clue whats beyond the haze/smoke. When I say fire, that means place your mouse in the middle of the TV. fire and wait for something to be dead center on your flight path. I had a gunner take out a chopper that was below us using this method. It's a free shot and no wait. "Yours is not to question... yours is to do or die"
I am a fairly laid back guy. I like working as a team. People that don't join squads and don't listen to pilot strategy have no business asking for a ride, or fighting for a chopper spot. you are not effective without learning the basics of chopper combat. If you want to fly. Learn how not to crash. Learn how to shoot missiles without ramming your target when you dropped your nose to fire. Your chopper moves on gravity and angle of blades, if your blades are at 30 degrees, you are moving forward and falling towards your target. you will Ram... I heard this the other night "I'm still learning"... 4 rams in a row is intentional. Get off the server and go "Learn" in an unranked. i have been very rude to gunners that are idiots or newbies. I don't have time to train you in the game. Go learn elsewhere and come back when you have a small clue as to what to do.
I judge my skills based off the others teams responses. I was on Moders and every Mobile AA, stinger site, and roof was armed or seemed to have AT's firing at me. I then had not 1 but both Transport choppers trying to ram my chopper. I was evading.. I probably hit my best. I was also alone without a gunner. No sooner that someone joined my squad and spawned into m chopper. I switched modes to gunner assist flight and went for a TV on a AA.. blam.. dead. it took 5 seconds before he realized a mobile AA, under the UAV, was in his TV sight and we died. Classic symptom of gunner-suckulitis. Deadly disease caused by Static between the chair and keyboard.. otherwise known as the ID-10-T error.
I hope you enjoyed the little writeup and I look forward to seeing what other Pilots think about their gunners.
I figure someone out here needed to put the word out on how to be a better gunner. Plus, why not make it a topic to find out what others think about their gunners, and what others might like to see in their gunners performance.
Who knows, a gunner might read this, be on a server with me.. and walla... actually meld with my flying style.
Rules:
1. Communication: This is a key element in a good squad. This also applies to a well greased Chopper team. Minimally, join your Pilots Squad. Hopefully the server that you are on supports VOIP, and you own a Microphone. If you cant VOIP, or Teamspeak then don't get in the chopper. You are a liability, and you will be the reason the chopper dies... fast.
2. Eyes and Ears: Scan the Horizon, Use the F10-F11 view screens. Let your pilot know if an enemy gunship is on his tail. If you spot a Tank, express "Armor, 6 o'clock 20 degrees declination". Learn some kind of code speak. Work with your pilot and He will get you those TV shots and kills. Please, do not waste your time sitting in the chair gunning in random directions.. and only using the chain gun view. If you have spotted an Armor or some kind of threat.. instantly change the view to the TV missile. Get ready to fire. You have variably 3-5 seconds before a Tank can hear a chopper spot aim and kill you in one shot. Do not hesitate. Aim and click. BTW "C" command has an alternate nose camera view and the front chopper nose disappears, assuming the admin didn't disable it. You can see better... trust me.
3. Aiming: Moving vehicles are... well.. Moving. If you aim at their midsection to tail, you will miss. Lead them, it makes for better hits.
4. Missile flights: when you launch your TV.. The missile flies off the rail about 5-8 feet before adjusting course and automatically veering to the place you clicked. Assuming you have proper distance. Don't continually click your mouse, it does no good and it will eventually cause you missiles to miss more often. Micromanagement of missiles is a science. Practice on stationary targets like signs, tree's.
Heaven forbid you EVER test fire a TV missile as your Pilot is coming in to the landing pad to heal. There is splash damage. The TV will KILL YOU. I cant stand this and I will TK you for idiocy.
5. Chain gun: It overheats. Don't use it on full tilt. It will become a useless piece of junk and you will be the reason we die. Aim your chain gun slightly in the front of the vehicle or person. Shoot small short bursts of 2-4 seconds. If the gun is at 1/2 heat, lower the number of seconds in spurt. this will maximize your ability to fire. Practice as a Support with a PKM. You'll get to understand barrel overheating.
5. Watch your HUD: Thats the small map in the upper right of your combat screen. It shows friendlies in Blue. It shows enemy in red if spotted. Hit your "M" key to bring up the overhead map. if the Chopper is headed towards red, ten your pilot has a bead on an enemy target. Could be a Tank, could be a Mobile AA. Get your TV up and be ready. Don't wait for your pilot. If he stops for 1 second and that Tank is in your view. Click and bombs away. I have a couple of gunners in my teamspeak. We've coasted thru the gully on Ghost town, and come up and over buildings with merely 1/2 a second of window and they fire. blam, the armor is dead.
6. Fire when you're told to fire: I cant count the number of times my gunners said.."Oh, I couldn't see anything.. there he is". We either died from a Tank blast or killed an Armor just at the visual edge of my distance. I have an awesome video card and I see things that some people don't have a clue whats beyond the haze/smoke. When I say fire, that means place your mouse in the middle of the TV. fire and wait for something to be dead center on your flight path. I had a gunner take out a chopper that was below us using this method. It's a free shot and no wait. "Yours is not to question... yours is to do or die"
I am a fairly laid back guy. I like working as a team. People that don't join squads and don't listen to pilot strategy have no business asking for a ride, or fighting for a chopper spot. you are not effective without learning the basics of chopper combat. If you want to fly. Learn how not to crash. Learn how to shoot missiles without ramming your target when you dropped your nose to fire. Your chopper moves on gravity and angle of blades, if your blades are at 30 degrees, you are moving forward and falling towards your target. you will Ram... I heard this the other night "I'm still learning"... 4 rams in a row is intentional. Get off the server and go "Learn" in an unranked. i have been very rude to gunners that are idiots or newbies. I don't have time to train you in the game. Go learn elsewhere and come back when you have a small clue as to what to do.
I judge my skills based off the others teams responses. I was on Moders and every Mobile AA, stinger site, and roof was armed or seemed to have AT's firing at me. I then had not 1 but both Transport choppers trying to ram my chopper. I was evading.. I probably hit my best. I was also alone without a gunner. No sooner that someone joined my squad and spawned into m chopper. I switched modes to gunner assist flight and went for a TV on a AA.. blam.. dead. it took 5 seconds before he realized a mobile AA, under the UAV, was in his TV sight and we died. Classic symptom of gunner-suckulitis. Deadly disease caused by Static between the chair and keyboard.. otherwise known as the ID-10-T error.
I hope you enjoyed the little writeup and I look forward to seeing what other Pilots think about their gunners.
