-Text added 18 June (2142 kits for BF2 vets)
-Text added 19 June (equipment forcing tactics changes)
Text added 19 June again (differences in vehicles)
-text added 11 January (correcting or updating information)
This is for people who play BF2 that are thinking about trying or making the switch to BF2142. If you are not familiar with BF2, you may find this a bit confusing.
There is a large debate about BF2142 among the BF2 players. Many maintain the belief that BF2142 is inferior to BF2. Many veterans, especially in this forum, actively belittle BF2142. After several days of thought, I think I have discovered the motivations of SOME of the people hostile to BF2142. Many BF2 vets thought that since they rocked at BF2, that they would automatically be the best at BF2142. When they found this not to be the case, some players may react to their sudden losing streak by cursing the game and going back to BF2, to the game they know and are good at.
BF2142 is actually a different game. Yes, nearly all of the controls are the same, there are many similar vehicles, and 2142 was built using the same engine as BF2. But there are a lot more changes to the game than simply putting new skins on all the people and equipment, which seems to be what some people assumed happened.
Another reason for bitter BF2 vet feelings is that many of them only tried 2142 as a demo, or played the beta. They got to experience the worst effects of switching to a new game, and were not able to experience some of the positive things many of us enjoy about the game.
2142 was designed, of course, to be a battlefield of the future. Yes, it is all speculation; if you do not like future combat, you will not like 2142. They did make it similar enough to modern combat such as BF2 for us to understand. When they made 2142, they used the experience of BF2 to fix some things with BF2 that they did not like. Some of these changes take away things that are near and dear to BF2 players hearts, which also explains their hositlity.
It Is possible, however, to enjoy your BF2142 experience. This post is to help explain the differences to you so can be prepared by the changes. This post is not to tell BF2 players that all their skills stink or that they can't play. This is just to allow you time to prepare so that the changes do not sour you to the whole BF2142 experience.
The items that DICE were upset with was the lack of teamplay, the overpowering effect of some vehicles, and the overwhelming power of the jet.
The Battlefield series was designed to be a big game of 'rock, paper, scissors.' Take infantry, vehicles, and aircraft; each was supposed to have advantages. Each were also supposed to have weaknesses to compensate. None of them were supposed to be the end-all beat-all of the game. WIth BF2, they failed. Noob tubing, medic-whoring, 'nade spamming, Noob-ejector, solo-choppering, J-10 whores, Blackhawk whoring, being spawn camped by a tank or APC. Every BF2 vet knows of these things, and they know how it has affected the gameplay of the entire series. These elements unbalaced the gameplay. Wake Island is a perfect example. How often to you see a close game of Wake? How many people are fighting to get in the J-10?
DICE addressed these issues with BF2142. Unfortunately, some of these changes mean that a lot of your BF2 skills are no longer useful in 2142. Yes, the games look alike, but they really are different games, and you have to play them differently. What are some of the changes?
The Differences
*No jets! This is one of the most visible. In order to create a better balance, the jets were taken entirely from the game. There is now just the Transport and Gunship. These do seem like enough. The game is about infantry combat, not flight simulation. No, the aircraft are not as powerful. Then again, half of the team is not standing around waiting for them to respawn, either.
*MGs are actually accurate! This is a real suprise to many BF2 vets. The support class is actually a going concern, and used for more than just a mobile rearm point and grenade spammer.
*No more Noob tubing or Noob ejector! No longer can you snipe a person out of the cockpit. Most of those cockpit kills were TKs anyway.
*There is no uber vehicle. Every vehicle out there has some cool strengths, but also have some glaring weaknesses that can be exploited. YOu just have to learn what they are.
*The gunship. It flies funny. You CAN NOT survive going inverted. You can not solo and use the TV missiles. Well, some have claimed they could, but I have never seen it done succesfully. Oh, and the missiles fly funny too. And the missiles are not one shot kills anymore. The pilot's rockets suck at killing infantry too. I was mistaken. I do not know if it is due to recent patches, but you can now pull an Immleman quite successfully. If you go inverted, climb as hard as you can. If you have enough altitude, you can survive. You may actually be able to solo now, as well; I just have not witnessed anyone doing it.
*It is REALLY hard to sneak around a BF2142 map. There is the commander's UAV, as always. But you also have a squad leader scout drone, engineer vehicle detector, support infantry detectors (2 kinds!), and the Netbat system. All of this conspires to make you easy to spot.
*the medic and ammo packs are different! Yes, they changed the way the packs work. This means a support cannot spam dozens of grenades, and a medic cannot spin around a corner about to die, only to be back at full health a second later. Now, the soldiers drop a single hub, and they work like limited crates for just health or ammo.
*The vehicles are all different! Yes, the vehicles have been changed. For the most part, they made simple changes that keep any vehicle from being truely greater than all of the others. More on that later.
*You can't sprint as far! Grenades are an unlock?! The medic defib is an unlock! I think this is a big source of harsh feelings toward 2142 from BF2 vets. A lot of people could not experience the unlock system in the demo. Also, some of them felt cheated that items that used to be standard issue for them are now only available as unlocks. This helps make the system MUCH different than BF2. Again, more later.
I am sure there are more, but you get the idea.
The Changes
The kits.
In BF2, you picked a kit and that is what you had. The only changes you could make were what kind of weapon you carried, if you had it unlocked. 2142 has a much different system. Instead of 7 kits, there are only 4. But you are not stuck with the same old equipment. YOu can change your weapon, if you have it unlocked, just like BF2. But you also have 2 kit equipment spaces that you can fill with onlockable equipment. This means that what you have as a support kit may not be the same as what your squadmate has in his support kit. Variety. Harder to predict, but does not go stale as quickly. If you are REALLY attached to your Spec Ops kit from BF2, you can actually use it after 7 unlocks. Medic? 5 unlocks.
The Unlocks.
There are MANY other threads around which will discuss what all of the unlocks do and what is best. I will just describe the unlock system in general. First, there are (since Northern strike) 50 unlocks. 40 of them are unlocked through promotions. (The NS 10 can only be permenantly unlocked through earning NS awards. ) This is the reason there are so many ranks in 2142. In each kit, there are 2 unlock branches. YOu have to unlock the first item ona branch before you can unlock the next item on that same branch. Also, the weapon unlocks are the 4th on each brach. But never fear! Promotions come so fast, that you can have 10 or 14 unlocks with very little difficulty. Of course, this also creates a problem in that you can only unlock EVERY item in a kit fast by ignoring the other kits. You should take some time and examine your gameplay to decide how to use your unlocks.
***Added 18 June***
BF2142 Kit choices for BF2 vets.
If you want to play 2142, but are sad for the old BF2 kits, here are some suggestions on how to go about it. I will even tell you what unlocks to get and about how many unlocks it will take for you to be comfy with your new/old kit.
SPEC OPS: For this, you have to go Recon. Get the first 3 global unlocks (grenades, stamina, and sprint recharge) then get all 4 unlocks on the B unlock branch. Now, equip yourself with the Lambert Carbine, RDX, and take off the Heavy Armor. Don't mess with the active camo, and try not to unlock the APMs in the A branch. You didn't have them in BF2, and so you shouldn't carry them in 2142, even if you DO have one more slot open...
SNIPER: This one is easy, as the Recon kit is sniper based. You only need 4 unlocks; the first global 3 and the first unlock on the A branch, which is the APMs (2142 version of the Claymore). Take off the heavy armor, and you are now a sniper. The basic sniper rifle rocks, and you will just have to get used to the scope sway.
ASSAULT: Okay, this is a difficult one, and a lot of unlocks to get it as near to the BF2 as you can. 3 unlocks for the global assets. This will give you grenades, but you have to promise not to use them, since you did not have them in BF2. Then 3 Unlocks on the A tree for the rocket launcher; just know the ruounds will NOT detonate under 20 meters, so no noob-tubing! And then 3 unlocks on the B tree for smoke grenades (not that you ever used them in BF2. Now, you must NOT use the medic pack, since you are assault, not the medic.
MEDIC: Pretty easy, after the Assault kit. Get the 3 global unlocks, then get the 2 unlocks on the Assault B branch. Take off the heavy armor. Equip the Defib. That is pretty much it.
SUPPORT: By far the easiest one. Unlock the 3 global unlocks. That is pretty much it. You can also unlock the 2 unlocks on the B branch to get a better ammo hub, but resist the temptation to use the bullet shield. It is pretty over-rated anyway.
ANTI TANK or ENGINEER: Here is where you run out of luck, as these two kits were merged and made pretty much inseperable. Oh, you can run as an Anti Tank, but you lose your pistol and only have an SMG. Ok, so you get grenades, but does that make a difference? And maybe you CAN carry anti tank mines. Okay, so one of your unlocks is a monster anti vehicle rifle and the other is an Anti Aircraft missile launcher. That can't bring your pistol back. And you have to carry that silly wrench. And none of that makes up for the Engineer losing their Boom-stick.
***added 19 June***
EQUIPMENT FORCING TACTICS CHANGES
Several changes in the kits and equipment have forced changes in the tactics used in 2142. BF2 vets first assumption is that all their 'modern' tactics will translate just as well into 2142. What most have discovered is that like the real world, tactics must evolve as the capabilities of the equipment elvolve. The biggest items are squad leader unlocks, the sentry drone, detector systems, the Engineer kit, and EMP.
Squad Leader Unlocks
At first glance, the squad leader unlocks look like just a cheap ploy to form squads and some useless trinkets. Once you actually dust them off and use them, it becomes apparent that while they may actually be a cheap ploy to form squads, they are highly effective items in the battlefield. Oddly enough, the most useful is the 1st squad leader unlock. The Spawn Beacon. With the item, no longer does the squad leader have to hang back to provide his squad a spawn point during a major attack (if he was likely to do this anyway). This means that defenders are put at a major disadvantage as wave after wave of attackers can swarm them. No more long hikes between flags to get back into the fight. Plus, put them at the edge of a wall, and you can end up getting your squad on rooftops. Without glitching or getting a 'C4 boost.' It is unknown if this was an intentional effect or not, but it adds a lot of height to the fights. The Otis drone is like a baby UAV for the squad. Best use is in the defense to see all of those enemy coming. Bad news is that it marks the Squad leader by circling over his head like a small mechanical vulture. The Accipitor gun drone, while being the 3rd unlock, is basically the most worthless. It seems really cool, but you have to identify the target to the squad to get the silly thing to fire, and it is not that accurate.
The Sentry gun, an unlock for the Support class, is another item that totally changes tactics for 2142. It is just a little machine gun on a tripod that shoots at the enemy when it enters its arc and range. Yes, it is a campers delight. Yes, it makes sneaking up on support people tougher. Yes, it is designed to be used for corrider or alley control. So? Just another item to get around. They take damage easily, the shoot at you even before you round the corner so they are no real suprise, the accuracy is no great shakes. But they do help either team by being a trip wire of sorts. You have to get in close to get behind it. This little jewel helps prevent frontal rush tactics. It makes players need to be just that little bit more sneaky. If you are unable to adjust, you are likely to hate the thing.
The Engineer. When a player with this kit is around, no vehicle is safe. Whether aircraft or ground vehicle, the engineer is the primary threat. Sure, the support can EMP you and annoy you, and a recon can RDX you if they get close enough. The engineer has motion mines that will hunt you down and kill your vehicle if you do so much as just get in range of them. When you hear the warning tone, it is already too late. Hard to avoid antitank mines when they follow you around. That Pilum gun can shoot you without even giving you a warning tone like the AT missile does. And with the AA missile, they make deep airborne penetrations more difficult, and hovering around a flag with the gunship is not a very good idea. The engineer kit is the reason that vehicles no longer rule the battlefield. Of course, almost any other infantry kit can eat them for lunch, but nothing is all powerful in THIS game.
EMP can ruin a BF2 vets day. They ingore your shield. They raz your screen, even your infantry HUD, so you can't see. They shut down your vehicle and make you a sitting duck. And there are SO MANY ways to get EMPed. Commanders EMP, engineer's EMP mines, supports EMP grenades, APCs EMP launcher, AA guns and walkers AA EMP missiles. The possibility of getting your vehicle shut down has to affect vehicle tactics for air and ground units. Air units can't stay close to the ground to kill troops where a fast EMP will cause a crash, or do fast, low flying. Tanks can't get in close to enemy infantry, or you might get shut down so that engineer or recon gets behind you and blows your vehicle to scrap. try not to get emped as infantry even, since you lose all of your HUD items, including your crosshair. Getting EMPed heavily usually means that you are about to be attacked or killed. And getting EMPed makes you a sitting duck. You are warned.
DIFFERENCES IN VEHICLES
Nowhere in 2142 is the difference between BF2 and 2142 more noticeable than in vehicles. It is also where most of the confusion and animosity is toward 2142 from many BF2 adherents. Remember that the entire setup of the game was changed to make gameplay a LOT more balanced. Whether it is the weapons or the vehicles, there are some strengths and weaknesses for every vehicle. I will try to slide over most of these. It will not be in excrutiating details, because there are other threads going over tactics and usage guides. This is a fast primer so you know what to expect, because the only real killer in combat is suprise.
But before I begin, I need to talk about parachutes This isn't mentioned in many threads, but your days of HAHO (high altitude, high opening) jumps and chuting into target areas are over. You can do a bit of manuevering in free fall, but once you pop your chute, you are heading straight DOWN. IF you want to do some crazy lateral moves; that is what pods are for.
Also, fixed defenses. No more TOW, AA missile, and MGs. Now you have a Rail Gun and an AA turret. No more automatic kill from the TOW, either. Although the rail gun does about as much damage as a Pilum or a tank gun, it is not an autokill anywhere you hit. It can, however, be used as a pretty fair sniper gun, and even has a slight zoom. Beware of the charging pause as it builds to fire. Click your fire button early. there is pretty much ZERO splash, so if you are using it against infantry, I reccomend being accurate. The AA turrett has flak-style cannons which do a fair bit of damage, but also very small splash if you are aiming at troops. It does have 2 EMP missiles (that reload past 2) that lock on to aircraft. 1 EMP razzes them, 2 shuts them down briefly. Be sure to maintain your lock until your missiles hit.
Now, VEHICLES!!! We will start small and move to big.
The Hatchimoto. This is a vehicle that was brought in with the Norther Strike expansion pack. It is... well, it is kinda like a two-person jetski on land. It is a hover vehilce like the Nekomata, so it moves kinda like a person, with strafe and all. It is really fast, and it is really fragile. However, this eggshell of a vehicle has a sledgehammer punch. The driver ahs a pair of LMGs fixed facing forward. To aim, you have to steer with the mouse and strafe. However, you also have a gunner. The gunner has two weapons. The primary weapon is a pintle mounted automatic grenade launcher. The grenades are not as powerful as the APC's, but you are not just limited to 3 at a time, either. The launcher CAN overheat, so watch your fire. The really fun weapon, though, is the same guided missile as the gunship. Right-click as the gunner to bring up the same aiming screen you would expect from the gunship. Again, you need to communicate with your driver to get the target in the box for you. Just fire and have fun. the same aiming and damage restraints apply, so be cautious. The big advantage is that THIS vehicle you can solo with. This vehicle is only available to the PAC, and only on Northern Strike Assault Lines maps. If you are EU and you want one, go steal it.
The best way to describe the FAV is a small, fast HMMWV with only 1 kit seat instead of two. The gunner sits inside instead of on top, and fires his turret as if he had a tv monitor. The driver and gunner can be killed by direct fire from the front or sides. The FAV has a short duration sprint function. Once the sprint is activated, the FAV is the ONLY ground vehicle that can outrun a motion mine. Beware of the fact that your FAV machine gun does NO damage to any vehicles other than other FAVs. You have no AA ability with this vehicle. It is, however, pretty fast. Weak spotson the FAV are the tires.
The APC on either side act pretty much the same, even if they look pretty different. Say goodbye to your BF2 cannon and missile. IN 2142, the driver gets a MG (will damage aircraft and FAVs, but no other vehicles) and an EMP launcher. The EMP gun is ballistic like a grenade launcher, so aim carefully. You have NO anti armor capability at all as a driver. The EMP gun is to raz a tank so you can get away. On the plus side, there is a gunner position on the APC that fires a tripple ripple mortar. (Remember me saying that they wanted to emphasize teamwork in 2142?) This is a very effective Anti-infantry weapon with a great splash. It is also capable of outstanding ranges, so you can fire indirectly, if you have someone to help you adjust the fall of your rounds. OH. You also get, as does every vehicle from this point on, a shield that stops all incoming fire for a couple seconds. It really helps if you drive into a jam, to drive back out again. Quickly, since it does not last very long and has a pretty long recharge time. The four chump spots in the APC each have a MG, just like in BF2, with unlimited ammo. There is unlimited ammo on every weapon in the APC. If you right-click in an APC, you get fired into the air in a pod. This helps you deploy a ways away from the vehicle instead of getting out right beside it to be killed by a tank blast. It is also important to note that an APC is TOUGH. In some ways it is tougher than a tank, since the sides and rear of the vehicle are not as weak as a tanks. This makes it better to use for close assaults. There are, however, weak points in the roof in the form of vents.
An important update note about shields. The shileds will block many forms, but not ALL incoming fire. You are not invulnerable while the shield is on. It takes experimentation and experience to know what you can afford to ignore while the shiled is on. Just remember that the shiled lasts maybe 3 seconds.
Now, to the controversial one. The Walker. It looks like nothing you have in BF2, but you should adjust pretty fast. Just think of it as an old-style APC with an AA gun on it, but no passenger space. It has a driver and gunner. beware that it drives and steers like an old-style armored vehicle. It can, however, sprint (with unlimited sprint endurance) and kneel. kneeling is important. The driver controls a pair of autocannons that will remind you of the cannon off a BF2 APC, and a rocket launcher. You have limited ammo as driver, but there is a more important limit on the drivers rockets. They are not too accurate, and they generate heat as they fire. If you are firing fast, you will overheat the rocket laucher with four rockets, and it takes a while to cool. You have been warned. The second seat on the Walker has a MG that is optimized for AA fire, though you can use it to hit troops on the ground. You also have a pair of AA EMP missiles, just like the AA turret. Use the same way. AA gunner has unlimited ammo. The Walker is pretty good close up, but it has a pair of glaring weaknesses. There are vents under the walker, between the legs. The walker can be damaged there with small arms if hit in the vent. a Pilum will drop it down to a burning wreck if it hits you there. Kneeling will keep people from getting under you, but you cannot kneel and walk at the same time. The second weak spot are the knee joints. Use your shield wisely.
Now, the Tanks. There are two styles. The EU has the Tiger, and the PAC has the Nekomata. THe weapons are the same, so we will go over them first. First, say goodbye to your coax MG. They took it straight out. Itwas done for gameplay reasons, mr. close-assault-with-a-tank-and-spawn-kill-everything-I-am-the-greatest-nobody-kills-me. You have a main gun and that is it as driver. 40 rounds for the main gun, but I think they incresed the splah damage to compensate for the lack of a coax. Your right click now zooms your main gun, making it what may be the largest sniper rifle in the game. Very good range, but beware of round drop. Obviously, they did this because the tanks place is NOT in an assault on the flag, but covering it with fire from a distance. If you are skeptical, you have some pretty bold weaknesses. This is what is likely to really irk a BF2 vet. THe Pilum, AT rocket, tank round, Walker rocket, and rail gun round all do around the same damage. Not exactly, but close enough for this briefing. You can take about 4 hits to the front, OR two hits to the side, OR a single hit to the rear of your tank. Yes, your wonderful tank can be destroyed by a single hit to the ass end. So, still want to run up to the flag where anyone can get behind you? You do have a bit of compensation. You do get a gunner slot, and he is covered, so he cannot be sniped or killed by blast damage. Unlimited MG ammo, can be used against aircraft, FAVs, and people. Ues some of that stuff called teamwork and trust him to cover your vulnerable rear.
I did mention there was a difference between the two sides tanks, right? The EU's Tiger works and drives pretty much like a BF2 tank, with the noted changes to the weapons and armor above. THe big change is in the Nekomato. There is no turret. And no treads. It is a hovertank. Turn left and right with the mouse like you want to slew the turret. Your left and right keys do not make you turn, they make you STRAFE. In short, use it like you would your infantry self. Don't worry, you will pick in up in just a few minutes. Oh, and look up other threads for fighting styles in these two tanks. There are some great guides out there if you wuld just read them.
Another new vehicle from Northern Strike is The Goliath. This is a beast of a vehicle. Part APC, part tank, part mobile spwn point, part mobile crate, this vehicle is designed to bear the brunt of at assualt as it pushes forward to capture flags. It is ONLY available to the EU on Norhern Strike Assault Lines maps. PAC personnel can NOT steal this vehicle, so do not try. This vehicle is considered so important in the game that the voiceover guy will anounce when it has spawned or been destroyed to the entire EU team.
When the Goliath is in play, it is a mobile spawn point, like APCs or transports are (in Titan mode, at least). There are only 5 spots on a Goliath, so when they are full, they are full. The driver gets 2 weapons. The first weapon is a medium range shotgun. Yep, a really big, vehicle mounted shotgun. It only affects infantry, however, not vehicles. The second weapon is a motion mine launcher. It lobs a motion mine that can either be fired directly at a vehicle, or near it (or into an empty area) to provide area denial. The second and third spots have autocannons like you will find on a walker (kinda like a BF2 APC cannon), but only one, not the walker's two, each. These have pretty decent splash to take out troops, but be aware that your ammunition is limited. The last two seats have a machine gun. Pretty good damage and unlimited ammo. The Goliath is a lot slower and more steady than an APC, so you can actually use these MGs pretty effectively.
The real kicker on The Goliath is that there are 6 plates on the sides ( 1 in front, 1 in rear, 2 on each side) that actively repair The Goliath as it takes damage. The more of these plates are working, the faster it is repaired. This makes The Goliath an absolute beast to take down. The good news is that these plates can be destroyed. A single hit by an Engineer's anti-tank weapon, the Pilum, RDX, or guided missle can take a plate out. Once enough plates are destroyed, you can damage The Goliath faster than it can repair. These plates also serve as crates to re-arm, and heal infantry walking alongside. They glow blue when active, so you can tell at a distance which you should aim for.
This brings us to the AIRCRAFT Luckily, there are only two styles.
First, the Transport. It acts just like a blackhawk with a couple of differences. There are 7 total slots instead of 6. The guns damage and accuracy falls between the 1.12 blackhawk guns and the 1.3 guns. Good, but they do not automatically rule the sky. You do, however, get a better angle of fire, as both guns will go just past straight front or back, and can fire almost straight down. You may be tempted to grab some engineers and do some exploiting Blackhawk style, and you can, to a degree. Problem is, while an Engineer CAN repair you (slowly), I do not think he gets any repair points if he is on the vehicle anymore, as far as I know. I haven't, anyway. Another few differences; the transport tends to keep more forward motion, so be careful landing. Also, the transport is more sensative to rough landings than the blackhawk. A hard landing that would damage a blackhawk a bit will destroy the transport. And finally, the pods. When you exit the transport while airborne, you exit in a pod. This does give you a fair bit of lateral movement, and you get to the ground safe and quickly, with no need for chutes. There are two dangers, however. As a pilot, you will pod down and to the front. As soon as you pod out, the transport will fall like a rock, and usually run over the pilot on the way down. Usually best to make sure, as the pilot, that the transport is moving backwards before you eject. The other issue is a troop landing. Some troops will pod out as you are closing in to land. They will land right under the transport, then you WILL land on them, TKing them. Either make sure your troops will stay in until you land, or hover instead of landing, so you do not crush your team mates. Due to a recent patch, the maneuverability of a transports pods have been greatly reduced. Be even more careful about running over your team mates.
And finally, the Gunship. This vehicle is another controversial one. It is not a futuristic chopper, it is not a replacement for the jet. They have made a completely unique vehicle. Weapon wise, it is a lot like an attack chopper. Movement wise, it is closest to a F-35B. Down, S, negative throttle, whatever you call it, will put you into hover mode. It acts like a chopper in this mode, but beware!! you do not have enough lift to use it like a chopper. You can hover and circle a bit, but you be losing altitude if you are manuevering in hover mode. Do not try it for long. It also makes you pretty vulnerable, and lots of things out there can kill you. If you apply positive throttle (W), then you enter flight mode, and it flies like a plane. DO NOT TAKE THIS VEHICLE INVERTED! If you go past a 90 degrees on your roll axis, the vehicle will flip completley inverted into an unrecoverable dive. All that lift is taking you straight down. You wanna live, jump. Fast. Of course, you don't have to believe me, so go ahead and try it; but I warned you. Next, do NOT try to solo in this vehicle. The good news is that, if you jump into the gunner seat, the vehicle doesn't start to spin in circles. Instead, the thrust cuts off and you drop like a rock. There have been rumors that particularly skilled players have managed to switch to gunner, fire the TV missile, hit a target, and switch back to the pilot seat in time to power back up and avoid hitting the ground, but they are only rumors. You will drop really, really fast. Of course, you are again welcome to try it yourself, but I warned you. Do not blame the vehicle if you can't do it like you could in the cobra. It was just not made that way. You wanna get the TV missile into play? Get a gunner to fly with you. That whole teamwork thing again.I just wanted to add again that you CAN survive going inverted, but it has a lot to do with speed, altitude, and a bit of luck. If you go inverted for any reason, pull up (climb) to get out of it. A roll simply does not work.
Now, the weapons have some changes on the gunship along with the flying. The pilots' rockets, for one. First, the splash damage sucks. You will only kill an infantryman if you actually hit him with the rocket. The good news is that the rockets will track air targets! No lock on needed, just fire towards an aircraft, and the rounds will track in with no warning buzzer. Takes 9 or 10 rockets to kill a guhship, 13 to 15 to kill a transport. you get 10 rockets with 5 reloads. The gunners cannon is pretty much the same as BF2. The TV missile, is very different. It does not automatically kill, but does a lot of damage, but that is minor. The big issue is with tracking. It is not point-and-click like the old tv missiles. It is actively guided continuously with the mouse. No clicking. Once you fire, if you move the mouse, the missile will move too. And it is pretty sensative. Really sensative. I reccoment lots and lots of practice. Make sure there are no children in the house as you try, as you WILL swear. A lot. Due to a recent patch, a pilot will now receive a warning tone when a gunship is in position to fire on them.
Conclusion
Well, that is pretty much that. A basic description. I think it is best that you do not think of it as another form of BF2. It is very similar to BF2, but it is a seperate and complete game on its own. Try not to make the inevitable comparisons that I am sure you will do anyway. Try to enjoy 2142 for the unique aspects and teamplay that it presents. If you want to know more details, look at some other fine threads for more detailed looks into the unlocks, weapons, and vehicles, as well as the tactics that the 2142 vets reccomend. And most of all, enjoy yourself. In the end, it is just a game.
-Text added 19 June (equipment forcing tactics changes)
Text added 19 June again (differences in vehicles)
-text added 11 January (correcting or updating information)
This is for people who play BF2 that are thinking about trying or making the switch to BF2142. If you are not familiar with BF2, you may find this a bit confusing.
There is a large debate about BF2142 among the BF2 players. Many maintain the belief that BF2142 is inferior to BF2. Many veterans, especially in this forum, actively belittle BF2142. After several days of thought, I think I have discovered the motivations of SOME of the people hostile to BF2142. Many BF2 vets thought that since they rocked at BF2, that they would automatically be the best at BF2142. When they found this not to be the case, some players may react to their sudden losing streak by cursing the game and going back to BF2, to the game they know and are good at.
BF2142 is actually a different game. Yes, nearly all of the controls are the same, there are many similar vehicles, and 2142 was built using the same engine as BF2. But there are a lot more changes to the game than simply putting new skins on all the people and equipment, which seems to be what some people assumed happened.
Another reason for bitter BF2 vet feelings is that many of them only tried 2142 as a demo, or played the beta. They got to experience the worst effects of switching to a new game, and were not able to experience some of the positive things many of us enjoy about the game.
2142 was designed, of course, to be a battlefield of the future. Yes, it is all speculation; if you do not like future combat, you will not like 2142. They did make it similar enough to modern combat such as BF2 for us to understand. When they made 2142, they used the experience of BF2 to fix some things with BF2 that they did not like. Some of these changes take away things that are near and dear to BF2 players hearts, which also explains their hositlity.
It Is possible, however, to enjoy your BF2142 experience. This post is to help explain the differences to you so can be prepared by the changes. This post is not to tell BF2 players that all their skills stink or that they can't play. This is just to allow you time to prepare so that the changes do not sour you to the whole BF2142 experience.
The items that DICE were upset with was the lack of teamplay, the overpowering effect of some vehicles, and the overwhelming power of the jet.
The Battlefield series was designed to be a big game of 'rock, paper, scissors.' Take infantry, vehicles, and aircraft; each was supposed to have advantages. Each were also supposed to have weaknesses to compensate. None of them were supposed to be the end-all beat-all of the game. WIth BF2, they failed. Noob tubing, medic-whoring, 'nade spamming, Noob-ejector, solo-choppering, J-10 whores, Blackhawk whoring, being spawn camped by a tank or APC. Every BF2 vet knows of these things, and they know how it has affected the gameplay of the entire series. These elements unbalaced the gameplay. Wake Island is a perfect example. How often to you see a close game of Wake? How many people are fighting to get in the J-10?
DICE addressed these issues with BF2142. Unfortunately, some of these changes mean that a lot of your BF2 skills are no longer useful in 2142. Yes, the games look alike, but they really are different games, and you have to play them differently. What are some of the changes?
The Differences
*No jets! This is one of the most visible. In order to create a better balance, the jets were taken entirely from the game. There is now just the Transport and Gunship. These do seem like enough. The game is about infantry combat, not flight simulation. No, the aircraft are not as powerful. Then again, half of the team is not standing around waiting for them to respawn, either.
*MGs are actually accurate! This is a real suprise to many BF2 vets. The support class is actually a going concern, and used for more than just a mobile rearm point and grenade spammer.
*No more Noob tubing or Noob ejector! No longer can you snipe a person out of the cockpit. Most of those cockpit kills were TKs anyway.
*There is no uber vehicle. Every vehicle out there has some cool strengths, but also have some glaring weaknesses that can be exploited. YOu just have to learn what they are.
*The gunship. It flies funny. You CAN NOT survive going inverted. You can not solo and use the TV missiles. Well, some have claimed they could, but I have never seen it done succesfully. Oh, and the missiles fly funny too. And the missiles are not one shot kills anymore. The pilot's rockets suck at killing infantry too. I was mistaken. I do not know if it is due to recent patches, but you can now pull an Immleman quite successfully. If you go inverted, climb as hard as you can. If you have enough altitude, you can survive. You may actually be able to solo now, as well; I just have not witnessed anyone doing it.
*It is REALLY hard to sneak around a BF2142 map. There is the commander's UAV, as always. But you also have a squad leader scout drone, engineer vehicle detector, support infantry detectors (2 kinds!), and the Netbat system. All of this conspires to make you easy to spot.
*the medic and ammo packs are different! Yes, they changed the way the packs work. This means a support cannot spam dozens of grenades, and a medic cannot spin around a corner about to die, only to be back at full health a second later. Now, the soldiers drop a single hub, and they work like limited crates for just health or ammo.
*The vehicles are all different! Yes, the vehicles have been changed. For the most part, they made simple changes that keep any vehicle from being truely greater than all of the others. More on that later.
*You can't sprint as far! Grenades are an unlock?! The medic defib is an unlock! I think this is a big source of harsh feelings toward 2142 from BF2 vets. A lot of people could not experience the unlock system in the demo. Also, some of them felt cheated that items that used to be standard issue for them are now only available as unlocks. This helps make the system MUCH different than BF2. Again, more later.
I am sure there are more, but you get the idea.
The Changes
The kits.
In BF2, you picked a kit and that is what you had. The only changes you could make were what kind of weapon you carried, if you had it unlocked. 2142 has a much different system. Instead of 7 kits, there are only 4. But you are not stuck with the same old equipment. YOu can change your weapon, if you have it unlocked, just like BF2. But you also have 2 kit equipment spaces that you can fill with onlockable equipment. This means that what you have as a support kit may not be the same as what your squadmate has in his support kit. Variety. Harder to predict, but does not go stale as quickly. If you are REALLY attached to your Spec Ops kit from BF2, you can actually use it after 7 unlocks. Medic? 5 unlocks.
The Unlocks.
There are MANY other threads around which will discuss what all of the unlocks do and what is best. I will just describe the unlock system in general. First, there are (since Northern strike) 50 unlocks. 40 of them are unlocked through promotions. (The NS 10 can only be permenantly unlocked through earning NS awards. ) This is the reason there are so many ranks in 2142. In each kit, there are 2 unlock branches. YOu have to unlock the first item ona branch before you can unlock the next item on that same branch. Also, the weapon unlocks are the 4th on each brach. But never fear! Promotions come so fast, that you can have 10 or 14 unlocks with very little difficulty. Of course, this also creates a problem in that you can only unlock EVERY item in a kit fast by ignoring the other kits. You should take some time and examine your gameplay to decide how to use your unlocks.
***Added 18 June***
BF2142 Kit choices for BF2 vets.
If you want to play 2142, but are sad for the old BF2 kits, here are some suggestions on how to go about it. I will even tell you what unlocks to get and about how many unlocks it will take for you to be comfy with your new/old kit.
SPEC OPS: For this, you have to go Recon. Get the first 3 global unlocks (grenades, stamina, and sprint recharge) then get all 4 unlocks on the B unlock branch. Now, equip yourself with the Lambert Carbine, RDX, and take off the Heavy Armor. Don't mess with the active camo, and try not to unlock the APMs in the A branch. You didn't have them in BF2, and so you shouldn't carry them in 2142, even if you DO have one more slot open...
SNIPER: This one is easy, as the Recon kit is sniper based. You only need 4 unlocks; the first global 3 and the first unlock on the A branch, which is the APMs (2142 version of the Claymore). Take off the heavy armor, and you are now a sniper. The basic sniper rifle rocks, and you will just have to get used to the scope sway.
ASSAULT: Okay, this is a difficult one, and a lot of unlocks to get it as near to the BF2 as you can. 3 unlocks for the global assets. This will give you grenades, but you have to promise not to use them, since you did not have them in BF2. Then 3 Unlocks on the A tree for the rocket launcher; just know the ruounds will NOT detonate under 20 meters, so no noob-tubing! And then 3 unlocks on the B tree for smoke grenades (not that you ever used them in BF2. Now, you must NOT use the medic pack, since you are assault, not the medic.
MEDIC: Pretty easy, after the Assault kit. Get the 3 global unlocks, then get the 2 unlocks on the Assault B branch. Take off the heavy armor. Equip the Defib. That is pretty much it.
SUPPORT: By far the easiest one. Unlock the 3 global unlocks. That is pretty much it. You can also unlock the 2 unlocks on the B branch to get a better ammo hub, but resist the temptation to use the bullet shield. It is pretty over-rated anyway.
ANTI TANK or ENGINEER: Here is where you run out of luck, as these two kits were merged and made pretty much inseperable. Oh, you can run as an Anti Tank, but you lose your pistol and only have an SMG. Ok, so you get grenades, but does that make a difference? And maybe you CAN carry anti tank mines. Okay, so one of your unlocks is a monster anti vehicle rifle and the other is an Anti Aircraft missile launcher. That can't bring your pistol back. And you have to carry that silly wrench. And none of that makes up for the Engineer losing their Boom-stick.
***added 19 June***
EQUIPMENT FORCING TACTICS CHANGES
Several changes in the kits and equipment have forced changes in the tactics used in 2142. BF2 vets first assumption is that all their 'modern' tactics will translate just as well into 2142. What most have discovered is that like the real world, tactics must evolve as the capabilities of the equipment elvolve. The biggest items are squad leader unlocks, the sentry drone, detector systems, the Engineer kit, and EMP.
Squad Leader Unlocks
At first glance, the squad leader unlocks look like just a cheap ploy to form squads and some useless trinkets. Once you actually dust them off and use them, it becomes apparent that while they may actually be a cheap ploy to form squads, they are highly effective items in the battlefield. Oddly enough, the most useful is the 1st squad leader unlock. The Spawn Beacon. With the item, no longer does the squad leader have to hang back to provide his squad a spawn point during a major attack (if he was likely to do this anyway). This means that defenders are put at a major disadvantage as wave after wave of attackers can swarm them. No more long hikes between flags to get back into the fight. Plus, put them at the edge of a wall, and you can end up getting your squad on rooftops. Without glitching or getting a 'C4 boost.' It is unknown if this was an intentional effect or not, but it adds a lot of height to the fights. The Otis drone is like a baby UAV for the squad. Best use is in the defense to see all of those enemy coming. Bad news is that it marks the Squad leader by circling over his head like a small mechanical vulture. The Accipitor gun drone, while being the 3rd unlock, is basically the most worthless. It seems really cool, but you have to identify the target to the squad to get the silly thing to fire, and it is not that accurate.
The Sentry gun, an unlock for the Support class, is another item that totally changes tactics for 2142. It is just a little machine gun on a tripod that shoots at the enemy when it enters its arc and range. Yes, it is a campers delight. Yes, it makes sneaking up on support people tougher. Yes, it is designed to be used for corrider or alley control. So? Just another item to get around. They take damage easily, the shoot at you even before you round the corner so they are no real suprise, the accuracy is no great shakes. But they do help either team by being a trip wire of sorts. You have to get in close to get behind it. This little jewel helps prevent frontal rush tactics. It makes players need to be just that little bit more sneaky. If you are unable to adjust, you are likely to hate the thing.
The Engineer. When a player with this kit is around, no vehicle is safe. Whether aircraft or ground vehicle, the engineer is the primary threat. Sure, the support can EMP you and annoy you, and a recon can RDX you if they get close enough. The engineer has motion mines that will hunt you down and kill your vehicle if you do so much as just get in range of them. When you hear the warning tone, it is already too late. Hard to avoid antitank mines when they follow you around. That Pilum gun can shoot you without even giving you a warning tone like the AT missile does. And with the AA missile, they make deep airborne penetrations more difficult, and hovering around a flag with the gunship is not a very good idea. The engineer kit is the reason that vehicles no longer rule the battlefield. Of course, almost any other infantry kit can eat them for lunch, but nothing is all powerful in THIS game.
EMP can ruin a BF2 vets day. They ingore your shield. They raz your screen, even your infantry HUD, so you can't see. They shut down your vehicle and make you a sitting duck. And there are SO MANY ways to get EMPed. Commanders EMP, engineer's EMP mines, supports EMP grenades, APCs EMP launcher, AA guns and walkers AA EMP missiles. The possibility of getting your vehicle shut down has to affect vehicle tactics for air and ground units. Air units can't stay close to the ground to kill troops where a fast EMP will cause a crash, or do fast, low flying. Tanks can't get in close to enemy infantry, or you might get shut down so that engineer or recon gets behind you and blows your vehicle to scrap. try not to get emped as infantry even, since you lose all of your HUD items, including your crosshair. Getting EMPed heavily usually means that you are about to be attacked or killed. And getting EMPed makes you a sitting duck. You are warned.
DIFFERENCES IN VEHICLES
Nowhere in 2142 is the difference between BF2 and 2142 more noticeable than in vehicles. It is also where most of the confusion and animosity is toward 2142 from many BF2 adherents. Remember that the entire setup of the game was changed to make gameplay a LOT more balanced. Whether it is the weapons or the vehicles, there are some strengths and weaknesses for every vehicle. I will try to slide over most of these. It will not be in excrutiating details, because there are other threads going over tactics and usage guides. This is a fast primer so you know what to expect, because the only real killer in combat is suprise.
But before I begin, I need to talk about parachutes This isn't mentioned in many threads, but your days of HAHO (high altitude, high opening) jumps and chuting into target areas are over. You can do a bit of manuevering in free fall, but once you pop your chute, you are heading straight DOWN. IF you want to do some crazy lateral moves; that is what pods are for.
Also, fixed defenses. No more TOW, AA missile, and MGs. Now you have a Rail Gun and an AA turret. No more automatic kill from the TOW, either. Although the rail gun does about as much damage as a Pilum or a tank gun, it is not an autokill anywhere you hit. It can, however, be used as a pretty fair sniper gun, and even has a slight zoom. Beware of the charging pause as it builds to fire. Click your fire button early. there is pretty much ZERO splash, so if you are using it against infantry, I reccomend being accurate. The AA turrett has flak-style cannons which do a fair bit of damage, but also very small splash if you are aiming at troops. It does have 2 EMP missiles (that reload past 2) that lock on to aircraft. 1 EMP razzes them, 2 shuts them down briefly. Be sure to maintain your lock until your missiles hit.
Now, VEHICLES!!! We will start small and move to big.
The Hatchimoto. This is a vehicle that was brought in with the Norther Strike expansion pack. It is... well, it is kinda like a two-person jetski on land. It is a hover vehilce like the Nekomata, so it moves kinda like a person, with strafe and all. It is really fast, and it is really fragile. However, this eggshell of a vehicle has a sledgehammer punch. The driver ahs a pair of LMGs fixed facing forward. To aim, you have to steer with the mouse and strafe. However, you also have a gunner. The gunner has two weapons. The primary weapon is a pintle mounted automatic grenade launcher. The grenades are not as powerful as the APC's, but you are not just limited to 3 at a time, either. The launcher CAN overheat, so watch your fire. The really fun weapon, though, is the same guided missile as the gunship. Right-click as the gunner to bring up the same aiming screen you would expect from the gunship. Again, you need to communicate with your driver to get the target in the box for you. Just fire and have fun. the same aiming and damage restraints apply, so be cautious. The big advantage is that THIS vehicle you can solo with. This vehicle is only available to the PAC, and only on Northern Strike Assault Lines maps. If you are EU and you want one, go steal it.
The best way to describe the FAV is a small, fast HMMWV with only 1 kit seat instead of two. The gunner sits inside instead of on top, and fires his turret as if he had a tv monitor. The driver and gunner can be killed by direct fire from the front or sides. The FAV has a short duration sprint function. Once the sprint is activated, the FAV is the ONLY ground vehicle that can outrun a motion mine. Beware of the fact that your FAV machine gun does NO damage to any vehicles other than other FAVs. You have no AA ability with this vehicle. It is, however, pretty fast. Weak spotson the FAV are the tires.
The APC on either side act pretty much the same, even if they look pretty different. Say goodbye to your BF2 cannon and missile. IN 2142, the driver gets a MG (will damage aircraft and FAVs, but no other vehicles) and an EMP launcher. The EMP gun is ballistic like a grenade launcher, so aim carefully. You have NO anti armor capability at all as a driver. The EMP gun is to raz a tank so you can get away. On the plus side, there is a gunner position on the APC that fires a tripple ripple mortar. (Remember me saying that they wanted to emphasize teamwork in 2142?) This is a very effective Anti-infantry weapon with a great splash. It is also capable of outstanding ranges, so you can fire indirectly, if you have someone to help you adjust the fall of your rounds. OH. You also get, as does every vehicle from this point on, a shield that stops all incoming fire for a couple seconds. It really helps if you drive into a jam, to drive back out again. Quickly, since it does not last very long and has a pretty long recharge time. The four chump spots in the APC each have a MG, just like in BF2, with unlimited ammo. There is unlimited ammo on every weapon in the APC. If you right-click in an APC, you get fired into the air in a pod. This helps you deploy a ways away from the vehicle instead of getting out right beside it to be killed by a tank blast. It is also important to note that an APC is TOUGH. In some ways it is tougher than a tank, since the sides and rear of the vehicle are not as weak as a tanks. This makes it better to use for close assaults. There are, however, weak points in the roof in the form of vents.
An important update note about shields. The shileds will block many forms, but not ALL incoming fire. You are not invulnerable while the shield is on. It takes experimentation and experience to know what you can afford to ignore while the shiled is on. Just remember that the shiled lasts maybe 3 seconds.
Now, to the controversial one. The Walker. It looks like nothing you have in BF2, but you should adjust pretty fast. Just think of it as an old-style APC with an AA gun on it, but no passenger space. It has a driver and gunner. beware that it drives and steers like an old-style armored vehicle. It can, however, sprint (with unlimited sprint endurance) and kneel. kneeling is important. The driver controls a pair of autocannons that will remind you of the cannon off a BF2 APC, and a rocket launcher. You have limited ammo as driver, but there is a more important limit on the drivers rockets. They are not too accurate, and they generate heat as they fire. If you are firing fast, you will overheat the rocket laucher with four rockets, and it takes a while to cool. You have been warned. The second seat on the Walker has a MG that is optimized for AA fire, though you can use it to hit troops on the ground. You also have a pair of AA EMP missiles, just like the AA turret. Use the same way. AA gunner has unlimited ammo. The Walker is pretty good close up, but it has a pair of glaring weaknesses. There are vents under the walker, between the legs. The walker can be damaged there with small arms if hit in the vent. a Pilum will drop it down to a burning wreck if it hits you there. Kneeling will keep people from getting under you, but you cannot kneel and walk at the same time. The second weak spot are the knee joints. Use your shield wisely.
Now, the Tanks. There are two styles. The EU has the Tiger, and the PAC has the Nekomata. THe weapons are the same, so we will go over them first. First, say goodbye to your coax MG. They took it straight out. Itwas done for gameplay reasons, mr. close-assault-with-a-tank-and-spawn-kill-everything-I-am-the-greatest-nobody-kills-me. You have a main gun and that is it as driver. 40 rounds for the main gun, but I think they incresed the splah damage to compensate for the lack of a coax. Your right click now zooms your main gun, making it what may be the largest sniper rifle in the game. Very good range, but beware of round drop. Obviously, they did this because the tanks place is NOT in an assault on the flag, but covering it with fire from a distance. If you are skeptical, you have some pretty bold weaknesses. This is what is likely to really irk a BF2 vet. THe Pilum, AT rocket, tank round, Walker rocket, and rail gun round all do around the same damage. Not exactly, but close enough for this briefing. You can take about 4 hits to the front, OR two hits to the side, OR a single hit to the rear of your tank. Yes, your wonderful tank can be destroyed by a single hit to the ass end. So, still want to run up to the flag where anyone can get behind you? You do have a bit of compensation. You do get a gunner slot, and he is covered, so he cannot be sniped or killed by blast damage. Unlimited MG ammo, can be used against aircraft, FAVs, and people. Ues some of that stuff called teamwork and trust him to cover your vulnerable rear.
I did mention there was a difference between the two sides tanks, right? The EU's Tiger works and drives pretty much like a BF2 tank, with the noted changes to the weapons and armor above. THe big change is in the Nekomato. There is no turret. And no treads. It is a hovertank. Turn left and right with the mouse like you want to slew the turret. Your left and right keys do not make you turn, they make you STRAFE. In short, use it like you would your infantry self. Don't worry, you will pick in up in just a few minutes. Oh, and look up other threads for fighting styles in these two tanks. There are some great guides out there if you wuld just read them.
Another new vehicle from Northern Strike is The Goliath. This is a beast of a vehicle. Part APC, part tank, part mobile spwn point, part mobile crate, this vehicle is designed to bear the brunt of at assualt as it pushes forward to capture flags. It is ONLY available to the EU on Norhern Strike Assault Lines maps. PAC personnel can NOT steal this vehicle, so do not try. This vehicle is considered so important in the game that the voiceover guy will anounce when it has spawned or been destroyed to the entire EU team.
When the Goliath is in play, it is a mobile spawn point, like APCs or transports are (in Titan mode, at least). There are only 5 spots on a Goliath, so when they are full, they are full. The driver gets 2 weapons. The first weapon is a medium range shotgun. Yep, a really big, vehicle mounted shotgun. It only affects infantry, however, not vehicles. The second weapon is a motion mine launcher. It lobs a motion mine that can either be fired directly at a vehicle, or near it (or into an empty area) to provide area denial. The second and third spots have autocannons like you will find on a walker (kinda like a BF2 APC cannon), but only one, not the walker's two, each. These have pretty decent splash to take out troops, but be aware that your ammunition is limited. The last two seats have a machine gun. Pretty good damage and unlimited ammo. The Goliath is a lot slower and more steady than an APC, so you can actually use these MGs pretty effectively.
The real kicker on The Goliath is that there are 6 plates on the sides ( 1 in front, 1 in rear, 2 on each side) that actively repair The Goliath as it takes damage. The more of these plates are working, the faster it is repaired. This makes The Goliath an absolute beast to take down. The good news is that these plates can be destroyed. A single hit by an Engineer's anti-tank weapon, the Pilum, RDX, or guided missle can take a plate out. Once enough plates are destroyed, you can damage The Goliath faster than it can repair. These plates also serve as crates to re-arm, and heal infantry walking alongside. They glow blue when active, so you can tell at a distance which you should aim for.
This brings us to the AIRCRAFT Luckily, there are only two styles.
First, the Transport. It acts just like a blackhawk with a couple of differences. There are 7 total slots instead of 6. The guns damage and accuracy falls between the 1.12 blackhawk guns and the 1.3 guns. Good, but they do not automatically rule the sky. You do, however, get a better angle of fire, as both guns will go just past straight front or back, and can fire almost straight down. You may be tempted to grab some engineers and do some exploiting Blackhawk style, and you can, to a degree. Problem is, while an Engineer CAN repair you (slowly), I do not think he gets any repair points if he is on the vehicle anymore, as far as I know. I haven't, anyway. Another few differences; the transport tends to keep more forward motion, so be careful landing. Also, the transport is more sensative to rough landings than the blackhawk. A hard landing that would damage a blackhawk a bit will destroy the transport. And finally, the pods. When you exit the transport while airborne, you exit in a pod. This does give you a fair bit of lateral movement, and you get to the ground safe and quickly, with no need for chutes. There are two dangers, however. As a pilot, you will pod down and to the front. As soon as you pod out, the transport will fall like a rock, and usually run over the pilot on the way down. Usually best to make sure, as the pilot, that the transport is moving backwards before you eject. The other issue is a troop landing. Some troops will pod out as you are closing in to land. They will land right under the transport, then you WILL land on them, TKing them. Either make sure your troops will stay in until you land, or hover instead of landing, so you do not crush your team mates. Due to a recent patch, the maneuverability of a transports pods have been greatly reduced. Be even more careful about running over your team mates.
And finally, the Gunship. This vehicle is another controversial one. It is not a futuristic chopper, it is not a replacement for the jet. They have made a completely unique vehicle. Weapon wise, it is a lot like an attack chopper. Movement wise, it is closest to a F-35B. Down, S, negative throttle, whatever you call it, will put you into hover mode. It acts like a chopper in this mode, but beware!! you do not have enough lift to use it like a chopper. You can hover and circle a bit, but you be losing altitude if you are manuevering in hover mode. Do not try it for long. It also makes you pretty vulnerable, and lots of things out there can kill you. If you apply positive throttle (W), then you enter flight mode, and it flies like a plane. DO NOT TAKE THIS VEHICLE INVERTED! If you go past a 90 degrees on your roll axis, the vehicle will flip completley inverted into an unrecoverable dive. All that lift is taking you straight down. You wanna live, jump. Fast. Of course, you don't have to believe me, so go ahead and try it; but I warned you. Next, do NOT try to solo in this vehicle. The good news is that, if you jump into the gunner seat, the vehicle doesn't start to spin in circles. Instead, the thrust cuts off and you drop like a rock. There have been rumors that particularly skilled players have managed to switch to gunner, fire the TV missile, hit a target, and switch back to the pilot seat in time to power back up and avoid hitting the ground, but they are only rumors. You will drop really, really fast. Of course, you are again welcome to try it yourself, but I warned you. Do not blame the vehicle if you can't do it like you could in the cobra. It was just not made that way. You wanna get the TV missile into play? Get a gunner to fly with you. That whole teamwork thing again.I just wanted to add again that you CAN survive going inverted, but it has a lot to do with speed, altitude, and a bit of luck. If you go inverted for any reason, pull up (climb) to get out of it. A roll simply does not work.
Now, the weapons have some changes on the gunship along with the flying. The pilots' rockets, for one. First, the splash damage sucks. You will only kill an infantryman if you actually hit him with the rocket. The good news is that the rockets will track air targets! No lock on needed, just fire towards an aircraft, and the rounds will track in with no warning buzzer. Takes 9 or 10 rockets to kill a guhship, 13 to 15 to kill a transport. you get 10 rockets with 5 reloads. The gunners cannon is pretty much the same as BF2. The TV missile, is very different. It does not automatically kill, but does a lot of damage, but that is minor. The big issue is with tracking. It is not point-and-click like the old tv missiles. It is actively guided continuously with the mouse. No clicking. Once you fire, if you move the mouse, the missile will move too. And it is pretty sensative. Really sensative. I reccoment lots and lots of practice. Make sure there are no children in the house as you try, as you WILL swear. A lot. Due to a recent patch, a pilot will now receive a warning tone when a gunship is in position to fire on them.
Conclusion
Well, that is pretty much that. A basic description. I think it is best that you do not think of it as another form of BF2. It is very similar to BF2, but it is a seperate and complete game on its own. Try not to make the inevitable comparisons that I am sure you will do anyway. Try to enjoy 2142 for the unique aspects and teamplay that it presents. If you want to know more details, look at some other fine threads for more detailed looks into the unlocks, weapons, and vehicles, as well as the tactics that the 2142 vets reccomend. And most of all, enjoy yourself. In the end, it is just a game.
Last edited by imortal (2008-01-11 12:13:56)
