Shooting enemy Killstreaks

[toad]

I still haven't worked out how many missiles it takes to destroy enemy aircraft.

I've found using the Stinger, I can destroy a Harrier 95% of the time with my first shot. Very rarely does it miss. I find shooting down an enemy Hind about the same success rate as the Harrier. I'm having big trouble with the Pave Low. I shot at it with the Stinger, and the Pave Low flared. I died, shot at it again, and it flared again... Didn't get a 3rd chance. If it takes 3 Stingers, am I just unluckly when i release a Pave Low, as many many times it been destroyed almost immediatey.

A friend of mine uses the Javelin to shoot down enemy aircraft, and he's destroyed an AC130 a couple of times now, and both times he did it on his first shot. It didn't work for me... Was he just really lucky? Is there any benifit to using the Javelin over the Stinger? If they were the same, I would prefer the Stinger as it targets quicker and also shoots down the aircraft faster.

[dale08]

I made a thread somewhat like this the other day, I find that the distance of the shot and where you are aiming (nose, body, tail, wing) determines if its a hit or miss.With the Javelin, it may take longer to shoot down the killstreak but has a higher chance of dodging the flares.

[toad]

Ah, excellent. So you can sometime get a lucky one in... interesting stuff, thank you.

[effingee]

The Stinger also has the benefit of coming with two shots.

[acidsnow]

Stinger > all other launchers for AA.

Whenever I play Ground War I always make sure that I have a dedicated AA-class with Scavenger/Coldblood/Ninja, Stinger, and an SMG as my primary for fast movement. Then if I die while enemy air support is up I just spawn with my AA-class and do my best with the SMG after the air support is destroyed.

I find too few people actually care about the rest of the team - thus i take it upon myself to have an AA-class.

[dchoi41]

I invariably have a stinger strapped to my back (which is annoying because I always loved turning corners and laying down in tall grass to dodge pursuers in CoD4 -- This fools nobody with a stinger on your back -- Though it's probably saved me a few times against thermal snipers), and I'm not even really what you'd call a team player. More, if my team's getting slaughtered, the less distraction I have to flank and catch people sleeping.

The two shots and quick, direct line, flight time make it totally outclass the javelin for anti-air (but javelin ground strikes are super fun). In the time it takes for the javelin to hit, I can shoot two stingers and know exactly what's going to happen with respect to flares. If it's a pave low or AC-130 I really want out of the air, I fire my two, semtex myself, and finish the job with no time wasted wondering if my missile will hit. Being able to take out two UAVs is also awesome.

But the javelin and stinger will both take out whatever they manage to hit. Pave lows and AC-130s have 2 sets of flares, so it'll take 3 stingers. If yours are getting shot down very quickly, it's probably a few people with launchers. Vs Pave lows specifically, you may want to consider dumb firing AT4s or using RPGs. If there's no lock on, the flares don't do anything, and pave lows are huge and easy to hit.

[xg08zero]

while I haven't payed much attention to find a definitive answer...I've seen some of my non-lock-on AT4 rockets still veer off when flare are deployed

Maybe I'm getting unlucky and I just happened to fire them right when someone fired a lock-on, so it caused the flares to deploy and it deflects all incoming rockets

I'm relatively positive flares deflect all rockets, but uncertain if non-lock-on never trigger flares

and it's a shame the AT4 does so little damage to killstreaks. I love the model and animations way more than the stinger. the feeling of the animation of the portable rocket is so cool =(

[chyros]

Dec 20, 2009 23:02:06 GMT -5 xg08zero said:

and it's a shame the AT4 does so little damage to killstreaks. I love the model and animations way more than the stinger. the feeling of the animation of the portable rocket is so cool =(

I don't think it was ever meant to down killstreaks, just take one flare off of them. As a secondary function - it's main function is just being a straight-fire RPG.

[mannon]

It works okay against a Harrier if you have the time to shoot it a little after you fire the rocket.

[toad]

What's this about having 2 stingers to start with? I always have just 1...

[toad]

I used the Javelin for a while yesterday, and it's no better at dodging flares.

I little tip for taking out the Pave Low: It swoops in quite low sometimes. When it's very low, and you are underneath it, you can take it out, as the rockets can't physically miss.

[mannon]

When you use the Stinger launcher for your secondary you have a spare rocket after you fire the first, but you have to actually reload it, if you switch weapons without waiting for the extremely slow reload then it will remain out of ammo.

You can also get additional ammo for all launchers with Scavenger. Scavenger Pro unfortunately does not give extra ammo for your secondary weapon, however. ;p

[toad]

I don't believe it! I never knew that. I feel like a right nonce. LOL.

I do indeed use Scavanger, so every time I shot a stinger off, I went and picked up a little blue bag. I had no idea the launcher had 2!!!

[mannon]

I might have missed it myself because the reload is so excruciatingly slow and even though I know it has two I sometimes forget to let it reload and then wind up with an empty stinger when I really need it. ;p

Of course if you roll with Scav you can always get another Javelin too, but that's just not reliable or safe, and the Jav still takes forever to hit. I think they probably should have made it so either the Jav has a greater chance vs flares or something should have had enough HP to survive a Stinger or something. As is there is little practical reason to use the Javelin unless you can lock on and fire from behind cover so long as the overhead is clear. But I think you still need LOS to lock on.

[ssog]

Dec 22, 2009 7:17:53 GMT -5 mannon said:

I might have missed it myself because the reload is so excruciatingly slow and even though I know it has two I sometimes forget to let it reload and then wind up with an empty stinger when I really need it. ;p

Of course if you roll with Scav you can always get another Javelin too, but that's just not reliable or safe, and the Jav still takes forever to hit. I think they probably should have made it so either the Jav has a greater chance vs flares or something should have had enough HP to survive a Stinger or something. As is there is little practical reason to use the Javelin unless you can lock on and fire from behind cover so long as the overhead is clear. But I think you still need LOS to lock on.

The Javelins don't need a second missile, as there is already a very good reason to use the Javelin over the Stinger- it can be free-fired, just like the AT-4. It's actually a devastatingly effective anti-personnel weapon (with a MASSIVE blast radius). Stingers, on the other hand, cannot ever be used in any situation to ever damage another player, so they get the second missile to make them better against air support.

[cptmacmillan]

I think you need to look up what free-fired means, because it doesn't mean what you think it means.

[toad]

I was using the Stinger last night, and remembering it had 2 missles as standard. Worked a treat.

[Indy_Bones]

Dec 22, 2009 13:26:41 GMT -5 ssog said:

The Javelins don't need a second missile, as there is already a very good reason to use the Javelin over the Stinger- it can be free-fired, just like the AT-4.

Errr...no it can't.

If you attempt to fire it without locking onto something you get the nice message "lock on required" and the firing animation cancels.

Stinger all the way for me.

[mannon]

Jav's can't be free fired, however unlike Stingers they can be locked onto something in the map, usually a vehicle or some random debris or something. That's not quite the same as free firing as you cannot manually determine where it lands, but if you know the map from experience it can have it's uses.

It would take a lot of experience/testing to actually figure out all the places where it will land for all maps, but it is a possibility. I'm not a big fan of the Jav anti-infantry use, but I guess it will do. I'd rather use my stingers, OMA, or an actual secondary weapon, though. ;p Probably a lot more useful in objective games or if you happen to know enemies are in position via a UAV.

[cptmacmillan]

mannon: Actually, you can lock onto anywhere. But locking on is not at all the same as free-fire, even if you can lock on everywhere.

[ssog]

Dec 22, 2009 13:30:29 GMT -5 cptmacmillan said:

I think you need to look up what free-fired means, because it doesn't mean what you think it means.

I know what free-fired means, but it's easier to say "the javelin can be free-fired" than it is to say "in addition to being able to acquire a lock on enemy vehicles, the javelin can be fired at any fixed point on the map". Now, is that TECHNICALLY the same thing as free-fire? No, but it's FUNCTIONALLY the same thing as free fire, since it allows you to shoot at a non-vehicle target whenever your little heart desires.

Dec 23, 2009 7:43:40 GMT -5 mannon said:

Jav's can't be free fired, however unlike Stingers they can be locked onto something in the map, usually a vehicle or some random debris or something. That's not quite the same as free firing as you cannot manually determine where it lands, but if you know the map from experience it can have it's uses.

It would take a lot of experience/testing to actually figure out all the places where it will land for all maps, but it is a possibility. I'm not a big fan of the Jav anti-infantry use, but I guess it will do. I'd rather use my stingers, OMA, or an actual secondary weapon, though. ;p Probably a lot more useful in objective games or if you happen to know enemies are in position via a UAV.

Javelins make DEADLY anti-infantry devices. You really have to see an experienced javelin user (or even a pair or trio of them) in action to believe the kind of havok they can wreak. It's essentially like a mini-air strike that can be called up at will. The explosive radius is massive and the damage is massive. You don't have to be in objective gametypes, either- with experience on the maps, you get a feel for what routes people take. Look at the mini-map, see where your allies are, assume that the enemies must be where your allies are not (unless you see your allies dying, in which case assume that the enemies must be there), then use that to extrapolate where the enemies most likely are and send a Javelin their way.

Stingers are clearly better against aircraft, and they should be. That second anti-air missile is the only thing that keeps the Stinger from being thoroughly outclassed by the Javelin.

[cptmacmillan]

I know what free-fired means, but it's easier to say "the javelin can be free-fired" than it is to say "in addition to being able to acquire a lock on enemy vehicles, the javelin can be fired at any fixed point on the map". Now, is that TECHNICALLY the same thing as free-fire? No, but it's FUNCTIONALLY the same thing as free fire, since it allows you to shoot at a non-vehicle target whenever your little heart desires.

You're exaggerating for the sole sake of trying to scramble a counter-argument together. You could easily just say 'The javelin can be fired at ground targets'. And it's not at all functionally the same thing. Free fire does not have a ~3 second delay where you are required to look through a sight at one spot, nor does it have a close-range limit.

I'm not saying the javelin is bad (it's great at the start of a round in SnD, in fact), but it's certainly not a free-fire launcher.

[explosion101]

IRL Jav can be free fired, but it can also be fired in Direct mode, skipping the looping motion we have all known and loved. But that's off the point.

Stingers were made for AA (obviously), so they came with 2 rockets. Jav's can be targeted to other places on the map, making it fairly useful as an anti-personel rocket as well as an AA rocket, so it only has 1.

Favorite launcher is Stinger, but the RPG's come in close behind. RPG's make taking out Pavelow's an infant's work, for it doesn't have crap for health after. RPG's are also "freefire" as well.

[effingee]

I've found myself better off shooting bullets at targets as opposed to waiting for the Javelin to lock-on, fire, and land. It's top-down trajectory makes it pretty much useless for the thing I associate rockets with, incinerating campers. The RPGs are a much more versatile anti-infantry weapon. You can use them at close range and fire them on a line (sometimes a curve) into windows, pill-boxes, and buildings.

I run an assault class with RPGs, a noob tube, and danger close. Works great on Afghan and in the trenches on Woodland.

I run an anti-air class with Cold-Blooded and stingers for shooting down harriers...etc.

Lastly, I run a multi-purpose class with scavenger and the AT4 that I use to clear buildings and shoot down all the UAV's I can find.

[Protolisk]

AT4's are great except they should shoot perfectly straight, not almost. If you only get 1 you should be able to shoot them into windows etc. Otherwise there's not much difference between RPGs.

AT4-Perfectly accurate
RPG-you have 2

[adree]

Dec 25, 2009 0:25:23 GMT -5 Protolisk said:

AT4's are great except they should shoot perfectly straight, not almost. If you only get 1 you should be able to shoot them into windows etc. Otherwise there's not much difference between RPGs.

AT4-Perfectly accurate
RPG-you have 2

Aren't the ADS times different?

[Protolisk]

Aren't the ADS times different?

Are they? which ones faster?

btw the main use I think for AT4 is killing campers through windows and random holes in walls. main use for RPG is shoot people in the open or when fighting in the tunnel in wasteland.

[hobbert]

Dec 20, 2009 23:02:06 GMT -5 xg08zero said:

while I haven't payed much attention to find a definitive answer...I've seen some of my non-lock-on AT4 rockets still veer off when flare are deployed

Maybe I'm getting unlucky and I just happened to fire them right when someone fired a lock-on, so it caused the flares to deploy and it deflects all incoming rockets

I'm relatively positive flares deflect all rockets, but uncertain if non-lock-on never trigger flares

and it's a shame the AT4 does so little damage to killstreaks. I love the model and animations way more than the stinger. the feeling of the animation of the portable rocket is so cool =(

non lock ons do trigger flares. i have fired rpg's at ac130 by leading them alot and hoping the sway doesn't send it too far of course and they do infact set of the flares

[xenon]

The first launcher dont kill with one hit, but it is the first one you unlock, got a smaller signature on your back and can be used as a long range frag to target ground units (windows where campers hide behind). Use it on AC130 to burn flares so your team mates with stingers can go in for the kill without wasting rockets.

Javelin normally bring down the heli gunner, armored heli and AC130 in one shot. It is also huge, easier to spot someone w a javelin on the back - and got a slow targeting animation (you should probably have cold blooded if using javelin). You can target ground locations (such as the sniper ledge in Afghan).

Stinger is faster and come in two, best launcher when level cold blooded Pro to take down lower killstreaks such as UAV, Harrier and the fist heli. Cant target ground objects. You sometimes need up to three stingers to take down an AC130, and by the time you do that he would have flown away anyway.

RPG-7 can be used to take down harrier, but I mostly use it for looks and as a long range frag with high blast radius to shoot through windows on my OpFor AK47 claymore class.

[ice597]

here's my experience with the javelins and stingers
if i launch a stinger close enough to an enemy airborne killstreak, the missile will make contact and remove the killstreak before any countermeasure is deployed(if it has any), not able to be done with the ac130, only way is to deplete the 2 sets of counter
javelin lock on to any airborne killstreak espically right above you is made challanging as the sky behind the killstreak seems to be also a possible point of lock for the javelin, which results in the missile going up forever without dropping down.
along with that, my javelin has never brought down an chopper gunner or ac130 in 1 shot, i cannot recall taking a shot at a pavelow with javelin.