Originally Posted by Mezorin
Remember, this isn't PlanetSide 1, and we haven't seen the Lightning yet. There is no arbitrary reason that balance wise a one man MBT has to be "better" than a Lightning anymore than a Heavy Assault troop must be "better" than a light assault on the ground. The developers have made it clear they want each vehicle to have its own set of strengths and roles, so they wouldn't want the Lightning to be the thing you buy when you are slumming it or need AA, but an actual viable unit that fits into the ecosystem of the game.
If the Lightning tanks have similar auto cannon armaments to an LAV-25 or a BTR-90 they will be very lethal infantry and MAX hunters that can still put the hurt on regular tanks. The fact that a Lightning will be bloody quick too will make it also great for chasing down ATVs, Sunderers, and other vehicles an MBT would be left in the dust by.
Lightnings can also react to stuff on the ground a lot quicker than MBTs can, and will be great for skirmishing. Remember, you need to control much more of the map in PS2 than in the original to win, and part of that is being able to react fast with vehicle/troop assets. A small group of lightnings (with varied load outs) can patrol friendly territory along a front line looking for enemies trying to sneak through, or areas where an enemy might be weak for an attack.
EDIT: Woot, nice to see fellow Lightning tank drivers in the forum!
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Wolf pack represent!
I hear ya brah. A solo MBT should not be a clearly "better" combat vehicle than the Lightning. The two should have different and distinct combat roles, yes, (with some overlap) but also have at least a somewhat similar level of desirability.
And you have a great point about the extended front lines in PS2. Gone are the days of only having one or two bases to attack. There's going to be a lot more avenues of conquest available to our enemies, so patrols and quick response reactionary forces will be even more vital than in PS1 in stopping enemy incursions along the front lines.
Obviously ES Fighters will of course play a vital role in this as well, but a Lightning wolf pack arriving on the scene right behind the ESF's, a few decked out with AA, could be quite useful in repelling an enemy insertion before they can secure the area and establish a solid FOB deep within friendly territory.
I'd also luv to see them used as both forward scouts and u-boats. So certs for enhanced detection and intel gathering ability, stealth, silent operations and adaptive camo would all be wonderful unlocks/sidegrades for the Lightning that I think would beautifully fit a small, fast moving solo tank quite well.
However.... I don't want to derail this thread too much.... I guess the main point is that the Lightning can and should be made into an effective solo tank in its own right. And as such, if someone wants to drive a tank solo, the Lightning is already available so there's no real intrinsic need
per se to give MBT's solo ability as well.
There are also several more points which others have already mentioned that go against giving the driver the main cannon:
- Most people suck at simultaneous driving and gunning and would be better drivers if they didn't have to use the main cannon
- The mainly defensive role of the secondary gunner (as asserted by Brewko on the SOE Forums) is a better fit for the driver whose primary purpose should be tank survival
- One 2-man MBT appears to be inferior to two solo MBTs or one solo MBT and a Lightning
- Some people hate simultaneously gunning and driving and want to only drive a tank, but they have no option to do so in PS2.
- People are inherently self-serving and generally don't like playing "second fiddle" in a tank by getting stuck with the weaker, defensive weapon while the driver gets the big boomstick.
In light of all of this I'm of the opinion that there should be at minimum the option to hand the main cannon off to a gunner, or swap the primary and secondary weapons around. And of course, my sig should tell you how I think the Mag's main cannon should be modded to allow its handoff to a gunner since it's still not clear how maneuverable it is (although again, that flying Mag in the GDC footage certain does make one contemplate other possibilities.....
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Originally Posted by Coreldan
BTW, has it been confirmed that Lightning is still a 1 player tank? They changed they are changing it quite radically, but I understood that would remain?
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Yes, they confirmed in the vehicle webcast that the Lightning is purely a 1-man tank.