Friday, April 19, 2013

PlanetSide 2 (Part Four)

Ground Vehicles
Common

  • Flash
    PlanetSide 2 - NC Flash
    - Two-seater
    - One weapon mount
    The Flash is an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) used to quickly (and cheaply) transport infantry to the front lines. Due to its low cost, it is often abandoned after fulfilling its purpose. However, it may also be equipped with a Scout Radar to detect enemy movements so if you ever see a hostile Flash parked within your base, be sure to dispose of it just in case.
  • Harasser
    PlanetSide 2 - NC Harasser
    - Three-seater
    - One weapon mount
    The Harasser, in my opinion, is kind of a hybrid between a Flash and a turret. It combines the off-road capabilities and proximity detection of a Flash but also has access to mount weapons that are capable of dealing with tanks, aircraft as well as infantry. Furthermore, the passenger in the third seat (at the back) is free to fire their weapons at will and can be occupied by a MAX so its potential is practically limitless.
  • Lightning
    PlanetSide 2 - NC Lightning
    - One-seater
    - One weapon mount
    The Lightning is a light battle tank that can be outfitted with various types of anti-air or anti-vehicle cannons/turrets. It is fast-moving and is often used in the beginning of an assault to weaken the opposing force before the cavalry (heavier tanks and slow-moving infantry) arrives. But one thing to note is that fighting in a Lightning is often very tricky because the driver is also the one who mans the cannon/turret.
  • Sunderer
    PlanetSide 2 - NC Sunderer
    - Twelve-seater
    - Two weapon mounts
    The Sunderer is sort of like an Armored Personnel Carrier. It is capable of transporting up to twelve infantry units at a time. But apart from merely transporting, a Sunderer equipped with the right "Utility" may also function as a respawn point for infantry units, a vehicle repair or vehicle ammo resupply station.

Faction Specific
Prowler (TR)
PlanetSide 2 - TR Prowler
Vanguard (NC)
PlanetSide 2 - NC Vanguard
Magrider (VS)
PlanetSide 2 - VS Magrider
- Two-seater
- Two weapon mounts

Though all three are built for a common purpose, to act as the faction's main battle tank, they each have somewhat slightly different specs. For example, a Prowler boasts a higher top speed and its twin barrel cannons are capable of inflicting damage quicker than the other tanks. The Vanguard, on the other hand, is more heavily armored on its front, side and top compared to the other tanks, but is more slow-moving. As for the Magrider, though it is not as powerful as the Prowler or as durable as the Vanguard, it does have the best maneuverability and also the least main gun drop rate (arc in its trajectory).


Aircraft
Common
  • Galaxy
    PlanetSide 2 - NC Galaxy
    - Twelve-seater
    - Four weapon mounts
    The Galaxy is an air transport that can be used to air-drop up to eleven soldiers onto objectives where a ground assault would have been impossible. But to perform such a maneuver, it would either have to fly very high or very close to the ground to avoid detection. For once discovered, it will have a hard time evading other aircraft as it is very cumbersome.
  • Liberator
    PlanetSide 2 - NC Liberator
    - Three-seater
    - Three weapon mounts
    The Liberator is a three-man gunship that is used to provide air support in "hot" zones. It sports a belly-mounted cannon to bombard ground vehicles and infantry targets as well as nose and tail guns to fend off enemy fighters. However, I must stress the importance of needing the Liberator fully crewed or it would be unable to unleash its full potential.

Faction Specific
Mosquito (TR)
PlanetSide 2 - TR Mosquito
Reaver (NC)
PlanetSide 2 - NC Reaver
Scythe (VS)
PlanetSide 2 - VS Scythe
- One-seater
- Two weapon mounts

Being the faction's air superiority fighter, the Mosquito's, the Reaver's and the Scythe's main purpose is to lock down the airspace above a territory and deny opposing forces of their air support. However, with the right weapons and skills, they can also provide decent air-to-ground support such as performing a bombing run against ground targets using their high rate of fire cannons and missiles.

And just like the faction specific tanks, the Mosquito, the Reaver and the Scythe each have their unique differences in design, performance and handling. For instance, the Mosquito has the best acceleration and highest cruising speed amongst the three as well as a small frame (thus making it difficult to hit). The Reaver is more heavily-armored, has the most damaging cannons and also the fastest afterburners (good for a quick escape but sadly doesn't last long). And lastly, the Scythe has the best stability (when hovering) and also top-notch agility to perform wacky and insane aerial stunts.

Good-to-Know Stuff
A couple of things to note here with regards to ground vehicles and aircraft is that...first of all, any one of the infantry class units can drive or pilot a ground vehicle or aircraft (except for a MAX). But usually for convenience-sake, the driver or pilot would normally opt to become an Engineer for the ease of being able to just exit the vehicle and repair any damage sustained without the trouble of having to look for one.
PlanetSide 2 - Entering a VehiclePlanetSide 2 - Vehicle Management
Next, you may enter or exit a friendly ground vehicle or aircraft at will, via pressing "E" while facing it and being at close proximity, so long as it is not restricted or locked by its owner (menu can be accessed by pressing "PgDown").
PlanetSide 2 - Galaxy Seating PositionsPlanetSide 2 - Driver Seat Icon Driver Seat
PlanetSide 2 - Gunner Seat Icon Gunner Seat
PlanetSide 2 - Passenger Seat Icon Passenger Seat
Occupied
PlanetSide 2 - Seats Occupied
Available
PlanetSide 2 - Seats Available
And finally, while being inside of a vehicle, one may choose to switch between seating positions by pressing the keys F1 to F12 (which corresponds to the seats numbered 1 to 12). If unfortunately the seat is occupied, then the switch would not take place until the person in that seat agrees to the swap.
Previous: PlanetSide 2 (Part Three)Next: PlanetSide 2 (Part Five)