For those of you that enjoy being the gunner in an attack chopper, this thread is for you.
I will post my tips and hope that others add their own here.
I'll start another thread for pilots later.
Full Version: CHOPPER GUNNERS: learning to TV MISSLE? look here:
- you can keep clicking to aim them 
actually a lot of people in my experience don't know that.
actually a lot of people in my experience don't know that.
There are quite a few posts on other forums for pilots and gunners, so in case anyone missed tips from a few veterans here's some highlights.
The biggest advantage you can get while gunning is to join the pilot's squad. It will be a lot easier to know when he is lining you up for a tv shot this way, or what he is planning to target next.
Flying is a game of angles. So if you see the enemy chopper and it does not see you, DON'T SHOOT...SPOT IT...and let your pilot get into position for an easy kill. TV missle first, machine gun second. Fire your guns before and after TV missile attempts.
Spot all vehicles: It takes less than a second to do it. If a jeep is shooting at you, the pilot might not see it, and this could save both of your asses. Spotting the enemy helo in a dogfight is crucial and rarely done. Spots last about 10 seconds before they need to be cast again.
Learn to COUNT!: Both attack choppers, tanks, apc, stingers etc are all on timers. If you want to stay in the air, you will find it much easier if you keep the enemy assets down. While raping a helipad is controversial, it usually leads to a win. I've seen many games where the USA cobra simply sat 400m from the MEC helipad for the entire game and USA team wins by 100 tickets.
*USA Cobra is on a 26 second timer.
*MEC Hind is on a 31 second timer.
*Tanks, APC, jeeps are usually ~20 seconds.
*Stingers are about 25 seconds.
Long Distance TV Shots: are probably the most important shots in the game. With only 26-31 seconds to repair your helo and fire on the respawning enemy helo, you often have to fire through the clouds @ 425 meters to get the kill. Learn this shot!!! I think it should be also fired at the very start of every game...sometimes there is delay in takeoff due to bad spawns, teamkillers, and bad piloting.
Here is a video of MEC firing at USA cobra helipad at the very start of the game.
http://media.putfile.com/BF2---TV-MISSLE-S...-USA-TV-STATION
Lead your shots: understand that your helo is moving in 3 directions and your shots will drift accordingly. Most pilots fly at full throttle, so when firing a TV at a chopper ABOVE you, you have to aim ABOVE the chopper to compensate for its climb. A good pilot will lead your shots for you, but this is often the hardest shot to lead as it means leaning the helo in a steep decent and risk crashing into the water or mountains. When aiming at fast moving choppers below you, shots must be lead as well.
Hit Boxes: each chopper seems to have a "hit box" around it that determines if your missle hits or misses. The biggest areas to aim for seem to be the tail rotor and the hull. Many shots seem to go right through the cockpit and miss. I have also hit a cobra dead on where the side wing attaches to the body and it survived.
Check out this video & note where I was clicking above their chopper:
http://media.putfile.com/BF2---TV-missle-h...and-it-survives
Use the MiniMap/HUD: Use the minimap wisely...you can tell what direction your helo is flying based on the cone of fire, that way you and the pilot are on the same page. Keep an eye out for enemy armor, and choppers that are spotted on the hud by commander and teammates...many shots can be made from 400+ meters without being able to see them thru the fog of war. I should also note that enemies often try to steal your chopper. Pay attention to a blown up UAV or radar station back at your main, or a spotted jeep headed that way. I spam "enemy spotted" whenever returning for repairs just to make sure I'm not missing a hidden jeep or AT kit waiting for my pilot to expose his backside.
Prioritize: Set priorities to your kills: Stingers>jeeps>AT>other infantry in that order. Nothing will ruin your perfect score faster than a sudden lock from a stinger site or well placed humvee .50 cal. Kill the threats first, and worry about the kills next. I GARAUNTEE you that you will get more kills this way. I've often fired on an empty stinger site and jeep with a full squad of infantry running 20 meters away. What happened? the pilot was free to maneuver and I had a perfect shot at all 5 guys and 5 more that were hidden in the building window.
Adjust for lag: besides leading your shots according to your pilot's direction, you can also adjust your game according to your ping. A tip from another post I have found is to set your ping latency as follows:
Hit tilde "~" then enter your ping. Example for a 40 ping...
"settingsmanager.floatset GSDefaultLatencyCompensation 0.04"
Luck: pray for a good pilot, pray that your teammates cap all but one flag and leave you a concentrated market of kills. Practice & the big scores will follow.
SiL+WAREHOUSE
24/7 Sharqi Insomnia365 pilot.[/url]
added:
*450m shots: tv missles have a self-detonation range of ~450m. If you notice that you are approaching 450m to a target with infantry, you can fire a tv shot and have it explode over them often taking out surrounding infantry. I've had 1 shot actually blow out the pilot and gunner right out of their chopper without killing the heli itself.
*timers: myself and some other CAL players will use timers to keep track of chopper and armor respawn times. You can buy them at any game shop...some of the better ones have 2 or 3 different timers, as used in a game of chess for example. Perfect for keeping enemy heli's and armor down, and also very helpful when commanding and you need to arty an enemy helipad or tank spawn point (10-15 seconds after a kill as it takes another 15 seconds for the arty to hit.)
*Bullet-Drop: It seems that both choppers have a drop in their MG rounds over longer distance shots. Any spammed shot over 200m probably needs to be aimed above the intended target.
The biggest advantage you can get while gunning is to join the pilot's squad. It will be a lot easier to know when he is lining you up for a tv shot this way, or what he is planning to target next.
Flying is a game of angles. So if you see the enemy chopper and it does not see you, DON'T SHOOT...SPOT IT...and let your pilot get into position for an easy kill. TV missle first, machine gun second. Fire your guns before and after TV missile attempts.
Spot all vehicles: It takes less than a second to do it. If a jeep is shooting at you, the pilot might not see it, and this could save both of your asses. Spotting the enemy helo in a dogfight is crucial and rarely done. Spots last about 10 seconds before they need to be cast again.
Learn to COUNT!: Both attack choppers, tanks, apc, stingers etc are all on timers. If you want to stay in the air, you will find it much easier if you keep the enemy assets down. While raping a helipad is controversial, it usually leads to a win. I've seen many games where the USA cobra simply sat 400m from the MEC helipad for the entire game and USA team wins by 100 tickets.
*USA Cobra is on a 26 second timer.
*MEC Hind is on a 31 second timer.
*Tanks, APC, jeeps are usually ~20 seconds.
*Stingers are about 25 seconds.
Long Distance TV Shots: are probably the most important shots in the game. With only 26-31 seconds to repair your helo and fire on the respawning enemy helo, you often have to fire through the clouds @ 425 meters to get the kill. Learn this shot!!! I think it should be also fired at the very start of every game...sometimes there is delay in takeoff due to bad spawns, teamkillers, and bad piloting.
Here is a video of MEC firing at USA cobra helipad at the very start of the game.
http://media.putfile.com/BF2---TV-MISSLE-S...-USA-TV-STATION
Lead your shots: understand that your helo is moving in 3 directions and your shots will drift accordingly. Most pilots fly at full throttle, so when firing a TV at a chopper ABOVE you, you have to aim ABOVE the chopper to compensate for its climb. A good pilot will lead your shots for you, but this is often the hardest shot to lead as it means leaning the helo in a steep decent and risk crashing into the water or mountains. When aiming at fast moving choppers below you, shots must be lead as well.
Hit Boxes: each chopper seems to have a "hit box" around it that determines if your missle hits or misses. The biggest areas to aim for seem to be the tail rotor and the hull. Many shots seem to go right through the cockpit and miss. I have also hit a cobra dead on where the side wing attaches to the body and it survived.
Check out this video & note where I was clicking above their chopper:
http://media.putfile.com/BF2---TV-missle-h...and-it-survives
Use the MiniMap/HUD: Use the minimap wisely...you can tell what direction your helo is flying based on the cone of fire, that way you and the pilot are on the same page. Keep an eye out for enemy armor, and choppers that are spotted on the hud by commander and teammates...many shots can be made from 400+ meters without being able to see them thru the fog of war. I should also note that enemies often try to steal your chopper. Pay attention to a blown up UAV or radar station back at your main, or a spotted jeep headed that way. I spam "enemy spotted" whenever returning for repairs just to make sure I'm not missing a hidden jeep or AT kit waiting for my pilot to expose his backside.
Prioritize: Set priorities to your kills: Stingers>jeeps>AT>other infantry in that order. Nothing will ruin your perfect score faster than a sudden lock from a stinger site or well placed humvee .50 cal. Kill the threats first, and worry about the kills next. I GARAUNTEE you that you will get more kills this way. I've often fired on an empty stinger site and jeep with a full squad of infantry running 20 meters away. What happened? the pilot was free to maneuver and I had a perfect shot at all 5 guys and 5 more that were hidden in the building window.
Adjust for lag: besides leading your shots according to your pilot's direction, you can also adjust your game according to your ping. A tip from another post I have found is to set your ping latency as follows:
Hit tilde "~" then enter your ping. Example for a 40 ping...
"settingsmanager.floatset GSDefaultLatencyCompensation 0.04"
Luck: pray for a good pilot, pray that your teammates cap all but one flag and leave you a concentrated market of kills. Practice & the big scores will follow.
SiL+WAREHOUSE
24/7 Sharqi Insomnia365 pilot.[/url]
added:
*450m shots: tv missles have a self-detonation range of ~450m. If you notice that you are approaching 450m to a target with infantry, you can fire a tv shot and have it explode over them often taking out surrounding infantry. I've had 1 shot actually blow out the pilot and gunner right out of their chopper without killing the heli itself.
*timers: myself and some other CAL players will use timers to keep track of chopper and armor respawn times. You can buy them at any game shop...some of the better ones have 2 or 3 different timers, as used in a game of chess for example. Perfect for keeping enemy heli's and armor down, and also very helpful when commanding and you need to arty an enemy helipad or tank spawn point (10-15 seconds after a kill as it takes another 15 seconds for the arty to hit.)
*Bullet-Drop: It seems that both choppers have a drop in their MG rounds over longer distance shots. Any spammed shot over 200m probably needs to be aimed above the intended target.
Very cool thread idea.
*stickied*
*stickied*
Sup warehouse...nice thread. Since I am known as one of the greatest gunners in the 24/7 Sharqi - Insomnia365 I got some tips of my own...I am going to post some shortly.
Alright here we go!
In these screenshots pretend you are facing the AH-1Z Cobra in the TV Missile Overlay view.
What this little screenshot guide does is that it shows your what like looking at when in the TV Guide Missile screen and the point of it is where to shoot when you see the USMC cobra at a certain angle.
- In this screenshot you want to shoot right at the tail. The best spot to shoot in these type of situations is the tail.
- In this screenshot you see the chopper has slightly a bit of a height advantage over you...but do you not worry. The best way to do it is to ask your pilot to nose very high up for a tv shot(if he is smart he should nose up immediately), then shoot at the bottom of the chopper. It is a 99% guarenteed hit if you are good with the tv missiles.
- You will usually see a chopper in this type of position when it is trying to run away because of low health and is trying its best to get away from the dogfight and get repairs. If you look at this angle you can see once again that you should shoot for the tail of the chopper.
- In this screenshot you would most likely think because you got the height advantage he is trying to get underneath you. Remember, the goal is to mostly hit the tail, So once your pilot noses you down, shoot in that area in the screenshot or maybe a bit more ahead of him and it will most likely hit the tail by leading the shot.
Those are the best angles I can give you.
ALL THESE SCREENSHOTS WERE TAKEN IN VIEW MODE 4 AND WAS VERY HARD TO GET THE ANGLES.
- Men4c3, The i365 daily chopper gunner.
In these screenshots pretend you are facing the AH-1Z Cobra in the TV Missile Overlay view.
What this little screenshot guide does is that it shows your what like looking at when in the TV Guide Missile screen and the point of it is where to shoot when you see the USMC cobra at a certain angle.
- In this screenshot you want to shoot right at the tail. The best spot to shoot in these type of situations is the tail.
- In this screenshot you see the chopper has slightly a bit of a height advantage over you...but do you not worry. The best way to do it is to ask your pilot to nose very high up for a tv shot(if he is smart he should nose up immediately), then shoot at the bottom of the chopper. It is a 99% guarenteed hit if you are good with the tv missiles.
- You will usually see a chopper in this type of position when it is trying to run away because of low health and is trying its best to get away from the dogfight and get repairs. If you look at this angle you can see once again that you should shoot for the tail of the chopper.
- In this screenshot you would most likely think because you got the height advantage he is trying to get underneath you. Remember, the goal is to mostly hit the tail, So once your pilot noses you down, shoot in that area in the screenshot or maybe a bit more ahead of him and it will most likely hit the tail by leading the shot.
Those are the best angles I can give you.
ALL THESE SCREENSHOTS WERE TAKEN IN VIEW MODE 4 AND WAS VERY HARD TO GET THE ANGLES.
- Men4c3, The i365 daily chopper gunner.
very nice guide for those lacking in experience.
the only thing i have found wrong: the timers for the chopper spawns are variable per map. on dalian, for instance, the spawn time for both choppers are exactly 30 seconds.
also, the detonation range is 425m. i always wait till the closest landmark is ~400m away, to be safe. (you stated in your additions that the det. range is 450, but 425 in the body paragraph.
also, for those with a bit more skill, CLU hosts a server-side modded chopper server. search CLU in the browser. its a lot of fun if your any good!
the only thing i have found wrong: the timers for the chopper spawns are variable per map. on dalian, for instance, the spawn time for both choppers are exactly 30 seconds.
also, the detonation range is 425m. i always wait till the closest landmark is ~400m away, to be safe. (you stated in your additions that the det. range is 450, but 425 in the body paragraph.
also, for those with a bit more skill, CLU hosts a server-side modded chopper server. search CLU in the browser. its a lot of fun if your any good!
quick question im not a complete noob but 60% of the time i miss or it goes through the chopper but any ways is there a way to range a target before shooting it is the a display or somthing?
QUOTE (pintobean2 @ Apr 1 2007, 01:08 AM) 
quick question im not a complete noob but 60% of the time i miss or it goes through the chopper but any ways is there a way to range a target before shooting it is the a display or somthing?
Refer to Men4c3's screenshotts.
I just love being the gunner in a chopper. Haha. I mean being a military man was a one way free ticket to having guns. LoL.just kidding though choppers are one of my passion. Flying in one of them is a dream come true for me.
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