AA buff is an overkill

[ElliotLH]

@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.

[Real_Noobalishus]

@GUTENTAAAAG After a few rounds last night I can see where you're coming from, I don't think the AAs are so much the problem but the spam that's happening with AAs.

I've always agreed the range has become excessive, however last night on multiple rounds of Hamada, the British spawn was filled with MAA's and Stationaries that were able to reach the Golf objective runway.

The barrage of Flak prevented me from being able to assist the team effectively and I ended up spending the whole game targeting the AA's from range with missiles as this was my only viable option.

Al Sundan was no different with every available enemy tank being an MAA and with Alpha, Bravo and Delta Objective in the hands of the enemy, you simply couldn't leave the lake area, essentially making planes irrelevant for the match.

One of these AA gunners joined our party last night, in an attempt to taunt me over their area and after we put the banter aside and had a real discussion on the updates, I asked if they felt the extreme range of the AAs were justified or necessary, they told me that they do feel sorry for people flying now as it's incredibly easy to drop planes in seconds and it shouldn't be this easy.

I decided to try the AA guns out myself and I was easily surprised how quickly aircraft were destroyed. The 40mm AA is by far the most devastating when it comes to aircraft and while it can be beat without missiles, I understand how it could be near impossible for newer pilots to combat.

I don't know if they will make adjustments to the AAs, so for now I suggest that all pilots both new and all, take less risks, keep distance and boom and zoom as much as possible. Avoid strafe runs where you can and stick to either long range missile or high altitude bombing of areas. I know this isn't going to be advice anyone wants to hear but until the AA spam starts to calm down, which it will, it's best to just remain tactful and vigilant

[GUTENTAAAAG]

@Real_Noobalishus  That's exactly how I see this too...

If you have someone casual on the AA it's not a big problem if you are very careful. But if you have someone capable on the AA.... there is pretty much nothing you can do, except maybe trying to snipe him with rockets.

And yeah, the range is insane. On Panzerstorm it's almost the whole map across....

It is very very easy to shoot planes down and it shouldn't be....

[GUTENTAAAAG]

In the bloody snow of Narvik, there is an AA so well hidden near the UK base, there is no way to spot it. Yet it can kill you half across the map. Even in a bomber.

I can't put into word how much I hate that thing..........

[GUTENTAAAAG]

Jesus, we had a round today when a guy in a MAA camped the whole match sitting from their main base on Twisted steal. He could reach as far as the other end of the bridge....... wtf seriously.

This was the point when I switched to MAA myself and took down 10+ planes with no effort.

AA need serious balancing...

[aztec1289]

The issue is also that you an bomb the spawns. That is a serious issue. MAA and AA cannons - range is just too powerful in combo with current damage model. Maybe slow down rate of fire?

[GUTENTAAAAG]

Reduce range, reduce range, reduce range.

[aztec1289]

I think the planes are too versatile. Bf4 jets worked because the structure was simple. Heres the ground attack one and heres the air superiority one.  Both can do ground attack but the air supriority one is better at aa, while ground attack one is better at ga via weapons, armour and speed ratios. BF v i like the idea but implementation has made it poorly unbalanced.

The issue is i can make a fighter that can take out tanks, so the top anti air fighter can also be formidable at ground attack. So the  how do you take them down? You rely on team work...and even on small servers populations like oceania that is often hit and miss, in regions like the US and EU i would suggest its worse.

[GUTENTAAAAG]

I have never been pissed / frustrated by a plane as an infantry player because they are no insanely strong vs ground (the only exception was the Junkers before the nerf - loved it btw).

Infantry can get revives anyway, so I think it's ok for planes to have an edge, since they are limited in numbers, take a lot more skill to operate and they are the only tool to counter camping tanks.

If you punch down planes from the skies with overbuffed AA, infantry will get more abuse from armor (rather then air) in the end.

[aztec1289]

I disagree. I have watched pilots maul ground soldiers- forgetting armour. Fire bombs, mines in the BF 109, explosive rounds, 75ml on  the JU88, the 20mm on the Stuka, the 6lb on the Mosquito, not even mentioning bombs like the 1000lb or 4000lb .... pilots can absolutely decimate ground troops- to the points its not fun to play. Last night while playing had Mustangs destroying any air and the squad mates were in greyhounds hitting any aa set up. It was pointless even trying to capture any point, because the moment you did, someone would flare and then the three mustangs would drop bomsb all over it.