I thought the event would be asymmetrical in terms of objectives, but unfortunately, it’s also asymmetrical in terms of balance.
The attackers don’t really stand a chance, they have to deal both with defenders (that have equal number of superior jets) and with AA (that can track and shoot them through trees). There’s also no way to properly share AA positions with friendlies. Won 0/10 games as US so far.
Won 3/3 of the games as attackers, not playing any more because I don’t enjoy kicking puppies.
I can confirm your complaint about Golan Heights having a SAM outside of the map border. I physically saw the launch trail and smoke and when I approached it I got a “Return To Battlefield” and got teleported back.
I’m not sure if that’s a required SAM to complete the mission (it seemed to not have a ring on the map like the SAM sites you have to kill) but I don’t like that you can be shot at from off-map.
Nice one! I still need to grind that TOWs to be effective though… Anyways, maybe helis SEAD could be fun in a challenging way but I think the balance of difficulties between the US and Soviets event gameplay is way off, which is the biggest issue
I want to say that this game mode has potential, but I realize I just want a PVE game mode where I just attack ground targets in an aircraft with the challenge being that I have to avoid air to air missiles from AI SAM’s.
The issue lies in the fact that there are too many SAM sites.
If it were only 5 or 4 with fewer players it would be fine, also PvE only, you are already busy looking and dodging missiles, you don’t need another player rolling up on you and killing you when you are having a sensory overload with your RWR.
And a bigger map as well… SAMs are too crowded (and placed outside the map too 🤦♂️), too many Shilkas with 100% accuracy that insta lock and kill you if you dare to fly low.
To be honest, it would probably be better to bring a SEAD test mode where the corresponding (at least in higher ranks irreplaceable) at least early ARM missiles are also brought.
This has a few advantages for everyone;
ARM mechanic can be tested wide fielded
Players can test it themselves without having the necessary vehicles
Better feedback can be gathered, which can also include things that affect the control and launch mechanics of it ( → improvements can be done prior release)
Specialized players can contribute new (important) information on ARM features that the devs either didn’t know about (including corrections)
I can understand that some might be disappointed, but early ARMs are a nice-to-have and not necessarily useless. In the end, small changes can be made to adjust the usability, balance and usability of the game, just like with previous games in the game.
Regardless of how the current mode works;
I really hope that we will get more such possible attack / defense targets for future and existing big scale modes - especially the simulator mode can benefit a lot from this and bring the long awaited variety and also influence the whole happening on a map; e.g. these SAM sites can protect airfields or convoys in the back rows, while “small” sites can be placed more in the middle of their own (team) region.
Tried one game in a Cobra. Did not like.
Fly high enough to see the ZSUs, get swatted down by a SAM or MiG.
Fly low enough for the above to not happen, and you get shot thru the trees by a ZSU as you grope around for them.
The RWR is pretty much useless for finding them. They need to be visible at least on the map so you can maneuver for a missile shot.
What a shit event: Cheating AI which locks you through terrain/hills. Invisible Shilkas which kill you before they even rendered. And when you finally find a MIG21 to dogfight you get killed by SAM which ignores your Chaff… And of course lobbies full of chinese and russian ESP hackers.
I honestly just gave up on trying to do SEAD, dropped all the stupid ordinance and focused on air-to-air combat only. Hunting MiGs without markers is way more fun 😁
My opinion on the event as an attacker:
1-Attack is too hard and defend is too easy
2-You cant really focus on ground targets until there are planes flying in the sky
My opinion on the event as a defender:
1-Defending is easier because you only have to focus on air to air
2- you can see where your sams are shooting to help locate the enemier
Probably lobbies are too big for the mode, a reduced number of players would be better. Also, because attacking is harder than defending, something should be done to make it more fair. At first I imagined that defending team was actually playing as AAA, instead they are playing as planes. I think that was a mistake. it would have been better if planes were AI bots, and SAM and AAA guns were the actual defending players.
However, I LOVE the idea at the base of this gamemode and I’m sure it can be explored and improved to make it into a viable and fun game.
I just came to the same conclusion, playing without markers around terrain to outsmart enemies is some awesome fun I haven’t had in a long time, making great use of the F4’s great missile kit.
I think this is super cool that they are testing this, having helicopters in air battles being in a dedicated attack role to destroy ground vehicles was and still is a suggestion that a lot of people want in both air RB and air SB. I really want this to be an official game mode in both game modes to add gameplay to the game as well as another way to grind out the helicopter tech tree, as PvE is too slow to grind and doesn’t give enough RP to justify playing it, especially when premium players use it.
I also want to add that i believe it should NOT be PvE only (playing against bot aircraft on top of the bot ground units) and stay the way it is in terms of what the players can play and it should also stay asymmetrical style too for two reasons, one: it is fun on both sides and it is fair, I’ve seen several times where the defending side wins just as much as the attackers, two: if it were symmetrical, we would deal with the ka-50/52s with their a2a capability with their vikhers missiles just like the PvP helicopter game mode that was taken down awhile ago.
Overall yall made a really fun an unique game mode and i really want to see more of it.