Regarding the Attack Helicopter and Being a 'Problem Player'

**WickedSoN** · 04-06-12, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by Mpstark

This will be my first post to TPG and it's a long one, which I apologize for.

I was told that I had been reported as part of the 'problem player' thread and came to look at it because I was curious. I'm actually left with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, not only because I apparently was reported as a 'problem player' but because members of this community (of which I have actually grown to really like) dislike the way that I play Battlefield 3.

Fact is, I love to gun and fly the helicopter and, you know, I'm pretty good in it; with some variation, I'm within the top 250 players in the world between all platforms. On maps that have the chopper, I normally feel that I would be more of an asset to the team in the chopper than ground pounding towards flags and my KPD (on the TPG server) on these maps shows at least some proof to that claim -- I average on chopper maps between 2.0 KPD (Wake Island) to 5.21 KPD (Sharqi). I always fly with a gunner or a pilot that I can communicate with in TeamSpeak, generally nnFlame, Brass, or Ky -- if that option isn't available, I grab my trusty L85A2 and medkit and hit the ground.

With those of you claiming the Attack Helicopter is 'overpowered', it really depends on the map. Canals (as US) and Sharqi (as RU) it really is a little much, since those maps have either less or no jets to counter. I might point out that the tank on Seine or the IFV on Bazaar or all of the armor on Karkand is also 'overpowered' in this regard; with nothing to counter them, they can be unstoppable. Really, all of these vehicles are incredible force multipliers; you can win the round because of that single tank at C on Seine or the IFV going in circles on Bazaar, but only if you have a squad of people that are willing to help repair and a team of people that can hold flags.

It takes teamwork and skill to keep the chopper up in the air (just like any vehicle) and even more teamwork and skill to actually kill people with it, particularly since this last patch, with the buffs to AA missiles and stingers. Remember that two people have to be flying in the thing, in constant communication, to have the kind of rounds that are described as 'proof' (namely, rounds that I have gone up to 20-30 KPD in) that the chopper is overpowered. It should take some amount of teamwork and skill to take it down. Many players on TPG have been great about taking choppers with me in them. Blood has proved to be effective at getting us with the RPG on a regular basis, which takes incredible amounts of skill. Squads lead by effective players like Hytec, Gato, or Tholis will grab stingers/IGLAs and just wreck us. Tholis or Brass in a jet often take us down six or seven times in a row without us getting more than a couple kills off. And when that happens we are often forced to grab rifles because the chopper isn't helping the team anymore.

The recent buff to TV missile (which is being nerfed again in the upcoming server patch) has unbalanced it in some regard as well on maps like Caspian, Kharg, or Firestorm but the base game is now fairly balanced in regard to the chopper on most maps. While a team of players like myself and nnFlame can get a bunch of kills and thin out the armor coming to the points, players on the group still decide the game. If I'm circling the antenna on Caspian and my gunner is taking out people that spawn left and right, it just doesn't matter unless we get someone to go get the flag, which is often hard to do. Our performance in the air doesn't matter if we don't have boots or treads on the flag radius.

That kind of ends my rant on the helicopter. Oh, and I'm actually somewhat hurt by this comment by a member of this community (with over 1600 posts!).

Outside of a chopper, as infantry (I am almost never in ground vehicles), I am almost always in the top three players on my team and often time in the top three players in the server. If I am leading a squad, I am proactive in assigning orders and communicate often in TeamSpeak; if I am not, I follow orders and continually PTFO. I average a KPD of more than 1.3 on non-air maps and generally have a KPM of 1.3 to 2.0 as infantry. Fact is, outside a chopper, I am not a joke, not even close.

Well said and nice first post.

**RhysJD3** · 04-06-12, 03:08 PM

People always complain when getting owned or what they think is owned. I'd let it go. However, if you're one of the guys that sits in the spawn area with a thumb up your butt waiting on a specific vehicle, it's probably better to get moving with your squad to a flag rather than camping for a vehicle.

Good to see you out out on the forums. Thanks for switching sides when autobalance was out of wack.

**Viktor_Olin** · 04-06-12, 03:22 PM

Welcome to TPG, Mp! (Or is it stark?) Please don't let this initial introduction stain your perception of TPG. I'll admit that my first experience with you was as you killed me several times in a row with the chopper on Sharqi, and my initial, emotional response was that you HAD to be doing something shady. After that initial, irrational reaction, i saw enough of your game play to realize that you're a damn good player, and now I'm quite glad you're a part of our community (especially if we're on the same team!). Players of your caliber can be extremely frustrating to play against, but ultimately, I feel, raise the bar and make all of us better players. Figuring out how to stay alive with you in the air, and finding a way to bring you down, can be a challenge. But, oh, the satisfaction when we finally get it done!

So, please, take the time to look around the forums and get to know us better. This is a great community. Let us prove that to you.

**maximusboomus** · 04-06-12, 03:34 PM

Chopper whore

welcome!

Sent from my pocket.

**Blood_Thirst** · 04-06-12, 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by jakt

Quickest solution to chopper whores: grenade launcher, rpg, stationary missile, tank shell.

Which is exactly why on air maps I've started going engi more with RPG's instead of my normal support class. And hell yea it feels good to say chopper down!

Especially when it's Stark or Flame

**Gunny** · 04-06-12, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by Blood_Thirst

Which is exactly why on air maps I've started going engi more with RPG's instead of my normal support class. And hell yea it feels good to say chopper down!

Especially when it's Stark or Flame

I agree with the above statement CHOPPER DOWN....it was Stark!!! and welcome to the forums.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

**Mpstark** · 04-06-12, 08:43 PM

Thanks for the welcome guys!

Most of my OP was simply to give a different perspective on the attack helicopter, since I saw a fair amount of people saying that it was overpowered (on this board, in-game, and in other communities). As a pilot and gunner of more than 110 hours, I simply don't feel that way and I expressed that opinion in the OP. The balance of the chopper with this patch is nice, *cough* other than the TV missile *cough*, because it takes a similar amount of teamwork and effort to fly/gun the thing as compared to taking it out of the sky. That's what I wanted to focus on, really; the balance of the attack chopper.

Some of the side conversations are a little off of what I wanted to convey though. I, in no way, wanted to call SourceSkills out for being frustrated. I completely understand how frustrating it can be to be killed over and over by the same thing (namely Brass or Tholis! Curse you and your jets!). However, I do think that adapting to the battle-in-hand is important. If you are getting killed by an IFV or tank or attack chopper again and again, switch to a kit that hurts it [*THIS HURTS YOU, ~~SHEP~~--CHOPPER*] and take it out.

I did want to individually address a couple things though.

Welcome to TPG, Mp! (Or is it stark?)

Thanks! I prefer Stark, really.

This is a great community. Let us prove that to you.

You already did. I've sunk about 80 hours into your server and I've come to really like a lot of the guys in it.

However, if you're one of the guys that sits in the spawn area with a thumb up your butt waiting on a specific vehicle, it's probably better to get moving with your squad to a flag rather than camping for a vehicle.

I only camp the vehicle if I was flying it previous to that. I find this to be somewhat of a compromise, since doing that reduces the impact that a player can have on the game. However, not having the helicopter up immediately after it spawns hurts the team as a whole, so if I have a team (the only time I'm in it), we generally wait for it.

Thanks for switching sides when autobalance was out of wack.

I do this because it's the right thing to do. I also don't base/spawn rape (except on Sharqi as a helicopter, because you cannot avoid it) either and try to get everyone from doing that. However, as I'm sure you've noticed, TPG server settings are making it hard for players to self-balance out. I think that this needs to be addressed.

Well said and nice first post.

Thank you.

chopper whores

I dislike this terminology, though I understand why you think it. Is someone a medic whore if they play medic when it's beneficial to the team to do so? I don't play the attack helicopter if we are losing and we're down 100 tickets, because that means to me that we need more push to get flags.

**Option hunter** · 04-06-12, 09:27 PM

Stark.

First off, welcome to the forums. I would have welcomed you eariler, but this thread slipped my notice until just a few minutes ago.

Now then, I just wanted to say a few things. First off, nothing frustrates me more then an Attack Helicopter that no one can seem to knock down. It's why in BC2, if I saw a Helicopter in the air, I would immediately switch to Engineer kit to knock it down myself. However, what I prefer to that is having a competent player in our chopper to deal with the aerial threat so that I can focus on what I do best, which is ground pounding and flag capping. I'm glad to have you around, because there are very few things that I like more then a player who is good at chopper flying. Now, that fact doesn't excuse you from my ire while you're on the opposing team, but when we are on the same team, I know that you would be around to take care of those pesky enemy choppers for me.

Secondly, I want to thank you for doing the things you've been doing. Switching teams to balance them out, abandoning your chopper when your team really needs ground pounders. These are things that I would expect from a regular who has been playing here for a while. Not from someone who has never stopped by the forums. These things show that you're definitely TPG Material. And I'm glad that you're now on the forums for the full experience.

I'm new to Battlefield 3, but I've been playing with TPG for a very long time now. Ever since I stumbled across their server while searching for one in Battlefield 2. Don't let your first experience here on the forums color your opinion of us. We're all a pretty good bunch here (Except for Blood_Thirst and Awesome-O. Watch out for those two.) I'm pretty sure you're going to fit right in here.

See you on the Battlefield,
Option Hunter