[Treerat]

You have guts posting that in a place like this. Not because it couldn't be an interesting idea (or give rise to new ideas), but because of the sheer amount of pent-up nerd rage still lingering from the BFRs. What makes it really irritating for me that is that all this BFR-hate is coming from self-declared "elites" who utterly and completely failed at handling the BFR because, despite all of the community managers efforts, they refused to budge one inch from their "fire until it blows up or kill you then bring in the next guy" tactics. It seems as if because they unable or unwilling to adapt away from their previous concepts, they assumed no one else could and therefore the BFR was "unbalanced." Though their antics did provide me with a number of laughs.

I particularly enjoyed watching some of Malnorn's beloved Liberty members throw themselves at a pair of TR two-seat BFRs with AV load outs in a column of Vanguards, only to be completely obliterated because they kept charging in two or three at a time and shooting at different BFRs like knights galloping at a formation of riflemen. Apparently the concept of fanning out to increase the time the BFRs would need to focus both sets of weaponry on a single tank each and concentrating their fire on one BFR to overwhelm it's defenses (a tactic straight of WWII used by American Sherman tanks to counter the Panther, Tiger, and King Tiger tanks superior gun and armor) was beyond them. It was as enjoyable as watching the "elite" outfits of Markov spend a full minute shooting at a parked BFR's body with rifles and heavy assault (most of whom I found out didn't have have AP ammo loaded), then get pissed when the driver came back from their bio break and proceeded to waddle his BFR away with only some damage to the armor and a few items in the trunk destoryed. Apparently the concept of crippling the legs with (again) concentrated fire so it couldn't move away or disabling the shield generator so the vehicles and AV-equipped people outside could add their much heavier firepower to the mix never crossed the empty space that passed for brains among them. In fact I would go so far as to say that that was the ultimate weapon of the BFR; it completely destroyed the "vets" ability to think in anything resembling a rational manner (as shown by this thread) and crippled the more sensible players through making us laugh until we passed out watching the self-declared "elite" repeat the same mistakes over and over then call those who had adapted to a changed situation "noobs" because we didn't agree with them.

I know I had no problem disabling BFRs. I would go as far to say as I found it easier to disable a BFR than any other vehicle short of ANTs, ATVs, or Harassers (and that only due to them being little more than mine bait). With an rifle, yellow ammo, and a little patience I could do enough damage to disable their close-in weapons and cripple their close-range sensors from a distance which made them extremely vulnerable to close-assault. If the terrain was favorable to it, I could improvise an anti-armor ambush with ES-AV or a Deci to target their legs (impairing their mobility) or shield generator (leaving them exposed to attack from vehicles, long-range AV, and other BFRs) then toss a jammer to cover my retreat back into the trees or rocks (the much-maligned fixed surge worked beautifully for that). Even something as simple as running between their legs or behind them and planting a mine or spitfire was incredibly effective at sending them packing for the simplicity of the method. Yet I don't recall seeing one BFR-hate spamming CR4 or CR5 even attempting something that simple even when I suggested it - usually because the response was "fuck off noob, you don't have as many kills as I do".

Yet that was exactly the point of BFRs - instead of being an all-or-nothing prospect like other vehicles, it was possible to drive them off for prolonged periods of time, and to destroy them through the concerted efforts of multiple people. Something that so many "vets" professed to encourage, yet when the need for that sort of cooperation appeared, all they did was become a mob of crying toddlers who spent more time arguing about who hated BFRs more than coming up with counters or even directing battles.

Really the only problem I had with them was how common they were initially, and that wasn't unique to BFRs so I wasn't nearly as upset as they were about it. From the time I started playing until the day I quit Planetside, going outside always resulted in having to dodge the hordes of Reavers and Mosquitos hovering for infantry to spam that were piloted by clones carrying heavy assault, a Decimator, and and having Engineering and Medic certed. If anything the BFRs were a change from that swarm of useless goons; easier to avoid, easier to fight, and much more likely to be piloted by someone who understood the value of preserving equipment instead of getting their crew killed trying to get that one last kill. Not to mention that BFRs worked extremely well with infantry who could use their shields as a safe-haven from the constant hail of Reaver rockets, and a number of those BFR pilots (many more than tank drivers) were willing to do just that AND wouldn't crush their own infantry to preserve their precious K/D ratio.

Which makes this whole "BFR GO HOME!" even more stupid. With the resource system slated for PS2, anything like a BFR would be so heavy in resources needed that it would not at all be suitable for massive deployments. Instead it would fill the same role as the Tiger and King Tiger tanks. A vehicle issued to select units (most King Tiger tanks were found in SS units or elite regular units and then rarely as more than a single battalion in an entire regiment or division) as an offensive weapon used to force a break in the enemies line for fast-movers to exploit to drive deep for a blitzkrieg or for a penetrate-and-wheel about attack to strike the enemy from behind, and the shield that protects the area where the enemy is expected to concentrate his efforts or to blunt a penetration then plug the gap. Oh well, I guess these "vets" would rather see more mindless stalemates that turn into tests of who has more time time stay online until one side gets bored and leaves, than a tactical battlefield where cooperation among leaders, careful allocation of assets, and good execution determine a victor. I hope they enjoy the game when they realize that their irrational behavior and baseless fears & hates cause PS2 to meet the same end as PS1.

PS:
It's not that I can't come up with a response to you. It's that I've learned that arguing with idiots who are convinced that their views and only their views have merit is completely pointless so I made extensive use of the ignore feature. After all, why waste time listening to people spew the same baseless opinions as "gospel truth" when I can simply ignore you after I've made my case and spend that time reading things that even if they don't agree with me have at least some indication that it's more than a tantrum.