The Crown brings out the worst lemming-like behavior in everyone attacking it, it seems. Sure, it’s a tough hill top fort, but people seem possessed by strange demons within a 1000 meter radius of that place.
Then again, it’s increasingly annoying how many people simply can’t fathom the concept of friendly fire. A doorway, where two people can easily cover it with a crossfire, becomes a death trap for your own side because all the infiltrators and medics who leap out in front of the crouched LMG-wielding heavies covering the door. Your attempt to suppress a vehicle zerg with rocket (unguided and guided) fire is thwarted because LAs and engies keep leaping in front of crouching heavies aiming rocket launchers. Everyone becomes a team killer when they try to actually set up fields of fire or pick a good spot for a firelane, because everyone else around them simply rushes headlong at the enemy, firing wildly.
It’s inevitable, I think; there is nearly no consequence to death (nor really should there be in this sort of game, I guess), and no meaningful personal cost to being out of the fight for a few seconds. The calculus is pretty simple. You rush out, get a kill or even some partial kill points, die, wash, rinse, repeat. It’s probably not as efficient as a really well-thought out plan, but in many battles it’s probably at least as productive as doing something intelligent, and also probably seems more fun than patiently waiting for a good shot. Those points you get are yours forever, so you might as well keep zerging.
I certainly don’t have an answer --the problem exists at a meta-level too, in that people are always complaining that their side doesn’t pay attention to the map and instead focuses on farms–because it’s in the nature of the beast. I suppose you could be draconian, and have deaths cost exp, but that would lead to massive griefing, so, no. And the whole battle dynamic is really built around constant death and respawning, and swapping kits. The only real reason to play “smart” in any sense of the word other than “maximize cert gain” is personal satisfaction I think.
That being said, I’ve had a lot of fun lately as a HA (VS and TR, different servers). With my Vanu guy I start with the modded Ursus and a 6x, which makes a wicked sniper rifle for suppression and a surprising amount of kills/damage points, then for mid-range go to an Orion with either a low-power scope or even iron sights, which is a very nice transitional weapon. For close in I’ve taken to using my Nova with slugs and extended mag; with the NS scope it is wicked close up and can plink ok too.
I don’t have as much gear on my TR; I still use the CARV-S with some mods and a 4x for long range, and the Uppercut pump shottie for close in (don’t have the third kit unlocked yet). The CARV-S is not as good as the Ursus for long range but it’s ok, and sounds good at least. The shottie can be amazing, though I’m not often as good as I need to be with it. I have been able to go into a room and kill four before getting killing, generally because no one ever actually follows HA into rooms, preferring to spam the doors instead.
I use the default launcher for both empires, except the Annihilator with my long-range VS set up (will use on other empires when it goes account-wide); I find the lack of dumbfire mode for the Anni too limiting for an everyday missile.
I haven’t been able to get into vehicles, much. I have a NC on the same server now as my VS, and I put some points into a Vanguard (like the looks, though it drives like a pig). Seems that by the time I get anywhere the action is done, and it’s more trouble trying not to run over your own guys than it’s worth. My NC spends more time as an engineer, still, though I’m not sure I like any of the NC guns that much.
One day I may attach a controller and try flying, as the mouse doesn’t cut it for me. Anyone use an Xbox controller for the flying? I don’t have a joystick.
