I have been flying lately, trying to unlock the new planes (I have maxed out all the rest). And I have noticed that stationary AA is disgustingly strong now.They punch you down from the sky in no time.....I have tried it myself and it requires almost no aim to hit the target. It's so easy! Planes just cannot escape!Not only escape but take you down.If you could actually take down AA, you would have a chance to give air support. And it was risky but possible in the previous patches. Now, not a chance!So what the hell am I supposed to do with an airplane???Also the fliegerfaust can down you with 1 shot. You stay in line for minutes just to get an airplane and than some random dude shoots you down like in 2 seconds with 1 shot??! Cmon man...........---------------------------------Please add tell EA/DICE your experience as a pilot so this can be finally balanced out for the better.And if you are in the top 0.1% as a pilot, I'm sorry but your game experience is not representative. :-)

I'm not sure why the experience of someone who is in the top 0.1% is not valid but I'm going to put my 2cents in anyway.Yes the flieger can one shot planes if you're coming in too low and more importantly too predictably. If you're flyong very laterally all game, then you open yourself up to be just as much a sitting duck as the SAA.You need to constantly be changing direction, altitude, speeds, etc. Always look behind you, go into 1st person and manually look around left and right, keep an eye on the minimap and scoreboard.Situational awareness is such an important aspect to flying and unfortunately when the ' New Generation' pilots who only started flying during the Pacific Storm Battlefarm Simulator, did not learn how to fly properly.The abuse given to infantry for months by extremely overpowered aircraft, while AA and fliegers did nothing made many of these new pilots weak. From the release of BFV AAs have been altered so many times while the planes were made weaker and weaker.During March - June 2019, AAs would down fighters in 0.8seconds and bombers 1.4seconds as calculated on many YouTube videos of testing.During August 2019 aiming reticles were off by nearly 3 plane lenghts and bombers outflew fighters.Up until December fighters didn't have bombing reticles so we had to learn how to control speed and angle to know where our bombs would land and we were accurate 95% of the time.The AAs bow while they have extreme range are not as bad as they once were damage wise, now is the time where situational awareness/skill will dominate and where those who only used flying to farm will learn to either sink or swim.AAs can be beat, fliegers can be avoided and planes can be leveled.Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

I have been shot down by Fliegerfaust with one shot multiple times, it's a broken mechanic, I'm telling you!Regarding AA I think the OP factor comes from the area each splash covers. You don't even have to hit the plane if you miss, it will still damage it. I can hit most planes with 90% accuracy no matter what maneuvers they make. It's ridiculous!

@aztec1289 Personally I didn't mind the way it was in previous titles, where there was set vehicle spawns.Infantry always had the ability to have stingers or other rocket launched weaponry along with Stationary AA's but the ability to only have 1x MAA, 1x Attack plane and 1x Fighter meant there wasn't an over abuse of a specific vehicle.On maps such as Panzerstorm, a team can spawn 3 MAA's with a range covering 66% of the map and be accompanied by SAA with the same range on multiple objectives.If they really wanted to, a team could spawn 6x MAA's and use 7x SAA. 13x AA's each with a 66% map range is far too excessive for a map that only allows 2 aircraft per side. This may seem fanciful but I have personally been in a number of servers where this happens during a full cap and you cannot spawn in without immediately being destroyed due to the range from closer based SAA'sHaving the ability to spawn 1x MAA, 1x bomber and 1x fighter would help ease the constant need to swing the nerf pendulum between Air/Ground, however I do realize this would also restrict freedoms in the vehicle choices people could use.As of right now if it was up to me I would:- Keep the AA damage but reduce the range between 25% - 50% (the Fliegers 600m range is perfect as strafing requires you to be within 600m due to bullet convergence, the AA doesn't need twice that distance)- Increase the time to overheat by 10% forcing AA gunners to be more tactful and burst fire rather than spray the target.- Tighten the flak burst to no more than 10m of the aircraft.- Remove the resupply points from spawns, forcing the players to venture out into the battlefield where they run the same risk of being blown up just like every other tank.Overall the AA's aren't that bad individually but once you get 2 or more relentless players it can become a nightmare just trying to leave spawn while they sit comfortable next to a resupply point protected in their spawn from other tanks, panzerfousts and C4.

@GUTENTAAAAGI found it tricky initially but have adapted now for the most part so usually escape in time or kill them if it's static AA. The range of SAA is more of an issue than the damage in my humble opinion, and they do need to take a look at MAA since I don't really think they should be able to sit in spawn and still cover most of the map. I've so far only been one hit killed by the Fligerfaust twice, as I was flying far too low for my own good, so am not too sure about that truthfully.Then again I'm apparently in the top 0.2% as a pilot so you might not see that as representative. That's fair enough if that's the case, as it will be trickier for newer or less experienced pilots (no offence intended).

I didn't see AA change too much , maybe their damage lower than before ? You can escape by dive as fast as you can to low altitude and find covers on the ground , the real problem is the range of AA is too long , dog fight become boring after that . But I did beat one station AA by drop bomb from Mosquito at high altitude , anyway it took me a lot of time .I think decrease the range of AA to from current distance to its 90% or decrease some damage to distance target will be better . The most important thing is hide the station AA position information especially the empty one to pilot .By the way do you notice the 8 rockets for planes in Pacific theater are weaker than before ? They can't even finish a tank with half HP .

AA buff is an overkill | EA Forums

37 Replies

ElliotLH
Hero+
6 years ago
@GUTENTAAAAGI found it tricky initially but have adapted now for the most part so usually escape in time or kill them if it's static AA. The range of SAA is more of an issue than the damage in my humble opinion, and they do need to take a look at MAA since I don't really think they should be able to sit in spawn and still cover most of the map. I've so far only been one hit killed by the Fligerfaust twice, as I was flying far too low for my own good, so am not too sure about that truthfully.

Then again I'm apparently in the top 0.2% as a pilot so you might not see that as representative. That's fair enough if that's the case, as it will be trickier for newer or less experienced pilots (no offence intended).
GUTENTAAAAG
6 years ago
I have been shot down by Fliegerfaust with one shot multiple times, it's a broken mechanic, I'm telling you!
Regarding AA I think the OP factor comes from the area each splash covers. You don't even have to hit the plane if you miss, it will still damage it. I can hit most planes with 90% accuracy no matter what maneuvers they make. It's ridiculous!
flyinghorse101
Seasoned Ace
6 years ago
hahaha, it is a good topic, and I see you struggling with this for a while.
I think balance its good and now it depands on training.
New planes are trash, agree on that discussion, but accept it, pull out your hair and then use better armor, nitro as specialism and you can at least repair, repair, reload and repair. Then also fly some higer. Then fliegerfaust is not even taking a shot on you.
Roadmay
New Ace
6 years ago
I didn't see AA change too much , maybe their damage lower than before ? You can escape by dive as fast as you can to low altitude and find covers on the ground , the real problem is the range of AA is too long , dog fight become boring after that . But I did beat one station AA by drop bomb from Mosquito at high altitude , anyway it took me a lot of time .
I think decrease the range of AA to from current distance to its 90% or decrease some damage to distance target will be better . The most important thing is hide the station AA position information especially the empty one to pilot .

By the way do you notice the 8 rockets for planes in Pacific theater are weaker than before ? They can't even finish a tank with half HP .
Real_Noobalishu
6 years ago
I'm not sure why the experience of someone who is in the top 0.1% is not valid but I'm going to put my 2cents in anyway.

Yes the flieger can one shot planes if you're coming in too low and more importantly too predictably. If you're flyong very laterally all game, then you open yourself up to be just as much a sitting duck as the SAA.

You need to constantly be changing direction, altitude, speeds, etc. Always look behind you, go into 1st person and manually look around left and right, keep an eye on the minimap and scoreboard.

Situational awareness is such an important aspect to flying and unfortunately when the ' New Generation' pilots who only started flying during the Pacific Storm Battlefarm Simulator, did not learn how to fly properly.

The abuse given to infantry for months by extremely overpowered aircraft, while AA and fliegers did nothing made many of these new pilots weak. From the release of BFV AAs have been altered so many times while the planes were made weaker and weaker.

During March - June 2019, AAs would down fighters in 0.8seconds and bombers 1.4seconds as calculated on many YouTube videos of testing.

During August 2019 aiming reticles were off by nearly 3 plane lenghts and bombers outflew fighters.

Up until December fighters didn't have bombing reticles so we had to learn how to control speed and angle to know where our bombs would land and we were accurate 95% of the time.

The AAs bow while they have extreme range are not as bad as they once were damage wise, now is the time where situational awareness/skill will dominate and where those who only used flying to farm will learn to either sink or swim.

AAs can be beat, fliegers can be avoided and planes can be leveled.

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
GUTENTAAAAG
6 years ago
@Real_Noobalishus
I really do appreciate your imput or advice how to be a better pilot. But this discussion is not about that!
It is about general game balance experienced by the "general public" who has probably 20-100h flight time. (I probably have around 200-300h with previous titles).
At this level flying should feel fair and enjoyable. Nothing gives reason for tanks and planes to have such a big skill gap to operate.

The harder you make planes to fly (by buffing AA), the more abuse will infantry experience from tanks because there is no air support.
The 4x exploding cannon should have never been introduced to planes. Infantry farming is cheap.
One-shot fliegers are outragious, what if I want to zipp by just above the enemy troops head, just to scare them? If someone is camping out with a flieger, you can't!
Oh and didn't somebody just say that if AA starts shooting you, you should fly right above ground??
Also the only way to counter AA is with rockets now. If you fly over trying to bomb them, you are 100% dead. So basically all planes which have no rockets are trash now.
GUTENTAAAAG
6 years ago
@flyinghorse101
I haven't had the chance to fly the new planes very much either because they are available only on US-non pacific maps for which we have no map rotation OR someone else is flying them OR if I get into one AA downs the plane 10 seconds after takeoff. Very annoying.
Oh by the way who else had the bug on Al Sundan where if you try to take off from the airfield at flag A, your plane (at least the Nightbomber) just starts going left and right and finally crashes into the light on the side of the runway. WTF lol.
Anyway, why do you think the new planes are trash? The 2x tripple rockets seems be very effective if you manage to stay alive by some miracle.
GUTENTAAAAG
6 years ago
@Roadmay
Honestly I haven't used the 8x rockets very much, there is no reason for rocket attacks to be that scalable. It is much easier just to land 2 big rockets which do 80 damage which is ok.
By the way the aiming reticle for the rockets is also bugged. You have to aim BELOW the target because it is always going to fly above it otherwise.
flyinghorse101
Seasoned Ace
6 years ago
@GUTENTAAAAG , yes multiple issues with Al sundan airfield and planes:
https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/Airplanes-clipping-through-the-landing-strip-on-Al-Sundan/m-p/8242477#M20114
https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/Partially-Made-It-Through-Map-On-Al-Sundan-Runway/m-p/8975164#M26821

I had to clarify myself a bit more: Planes without specs are trash, and when you are able to upgrade them, like getting the rockets, you can finally do some real damage.
But between this part it can be really frustrating.
Further I still think the balance is fine. Perhaps spotting by the team can be some help detecting all AA's. But when I have Nitro I survive 98% from AA.
ElliotLH
Hero+
6 years ago
@Roadmay Can't remember noticing any change to the rockets on the Pacific planes myself. I was still doing 80 damage to full health tanks if I hit them with all 8 rockets if my memory is working.

Then again I've only flown on the Pacific maps a handful of times recently as I've being trying to rank up all the new planes. I might just not have noticed.