Got to get those jet kills somehow.

Oftentimes I will be flying around in an attack helicopter raining down destruction on the enemy only to be rammed by a kamikaze pilot hellbent on bringing me down. It's frustrating for me as the recipient of the jet to the face, but how do you guys feel? One jet pilot to take out 2 (or more if it's a transport helicopter). Also there are usually two jets spawning on maps with single attack helicopters. Also some people feel that the attack helicopters are overpowered anyway and if this is the way to bring them down, so be it.

It's nothing new, the same thing happened in BF2 as well. The only solution in the past has been for server admins to kick recurring 'offenders'. Thoughts?

Well I wouldn't call it "kamikaze" when someone flies into you while you are flying but it's a valid tactic imo because the germans would fly their Me109s and FW190s into American B-17s during WW2. Like the Helicoptors in BF3 the B-17 was a beast of a machine and required alot of firepower to knock on out of the sky.

Couldn't be more "meh" about them. If anything it's pretty funny.

Most of the time, if i'm choppering, and actually actively fighting the offending asshole pilot, it is very easy to move out of the way. They usually only resort to this once they realise i'm going to kill the shit out of them and there's nothing they can do about it but cheat.

The only time it gets me is if i'm not fighting them specificaly. But they usually try to lock on first, giving me a good notice as to whats about to happen.

DICE do however need to make it so the planes explode too.

I don't fly helicopters much, but I would probably find that funny at first and then slightly irritating after a while. As someone who has had all the unlocks for the jets for a while now, I've always been able to just shoot down choppers normally. Intentionally ramming into them just seems a little lazy to me, but hey, not everyone's good at flying.

I find it more annoying when people fly circles around your carrier or airstrip so that every time you spawn into a jet and try to take off you get destroyed before you get off the ground.

Only thing interesting that happens in the game.

All's fair in war and war, mother effers.

I feel it's part of the craziness of the game, but I've always found Battlefield the most enjoyable when approaching it with a gung-ho "fuck yea" attitude.

@Voxel said:

I find it more annoying when people fly circles around your carrier or airstrip so that every time you spawn into a jet and try to take off you get destroyed before you get off the ground.

This is infinity more annoying then Kamikazes.

War is hell?

I find it annoying at worst.

One of the best things for your team is having complete air dominance. If some idiot on the other side decides to ram your tank with his plane, well, that's one less plane in the sky for the other team. And unlike tanks, planes can be very easy to pick off when they're taking off, especially when having one less plane in the sky allows your pilots to rule the air.

@Ubersmake: I was referring to jets ramming helicopters. Never seen a jet crash into a tank... well not on purpose... unless... hmmmmmmmmm

I'm a big fan

@Canteu said:

Most of the time, if i'm choppering, and actually actively fighting the offending asshole pilot, it is very easy to move out of the way. They usually only resort to this once they realise i'm going to kill the shit out of them and there's nothing they can do about it but cheat.

The only time it gets me is if i'm not fighting them specificaly. But they usually try to lock on first, giving me a good notice as to whats about to happen.

DICE do however need to make it so the planes explode too.

How the fuck is flying your airplane into the asshole who's killing you cheating? haha Even in real life I would do that.

It pisses me off.

Respawn time of the Jets is short enough, meh.

It's a very expensive tactic, that's for sure.

See Al Qaeda; 9-11

@MideonNViscera: meaning, they are going to lose a fair fight, even though they are using the counter to choppers, so they resort to cheap tactics.

I only go for planes if they go for me. Choppers have better things to do.

Kinda ok with it as a tactic.  Kinda think tactics that mean forced (read automatic, not 'accepted') suicide/death are kinda dumb in general.  That being said, flying chopper is in a way 'accepted death.'  In general, the helos can be killing machines but flying a helo means you're willing to die.  that can be annoying, and air-to-air collisions are generally irksome as they seem the hardest to do much about, but getting hit with a tank shell and flipping the chopper sucks too.  
 
This lends alot (to me) to the argument of having 0 vehicle respawn time.  Otherwise kamikaze jets can really establish air superiority.  However, none of that changes that the general 'correct'  response (again, to me) seems either to be to a) blindly keep doing what you know works in the face of defeat or b) changing up what you're doing (ie- if the other team gets air superiority, take it back from Ground to air fighting, or take it back by taking flags while the pilots for the other side fly around satisfied with their conquest).  In other words, when the kamikaze pilots get so annoying you want to break something, do something else.

I sometimes do it accidentally.

It's a part of the Battlefield gameplay. There's no reason why helicopters should be sacred when tanks are getting C4'd, jets are getting shot down by single men and infantry is getting RPG'd in the face/run over with jeeps. 
 
They're the deadliest vehicle in the game, ramming them to rid your team of their crap is totally legit.

See Al Qaeda; 9-11

nothing is worse than when you're owning it up in the air and you're on a killing streak to have some fucking douche snozzle crash into you because he can't shoot you down after multiple attempts.

In Battlefield 2 it was a valid tactic because it was consistent and balanced, if enemy team had a skilled chopper pilot that would carry them to victory then kamikaze jet would be an effective way to take him down, yes you lose a ticket and you lose a jet for a period of time but its better than having a chopper destroying all your infantry.

While in BF2 it was a valid tactic, in BF3 it feels terribly broken. In BF2 if 2 air vehicle collided they would both explode, In BF3 this shit is so fucking inconsistent and broken. The most common scenario is when a jet rams a chopper, the chopper explodes midair and the jet gets away with 100%.

Im usually on the receiving end of the attack. Usually when I'm playing infantry (I never fly) and its a helicopter flying its face into my ass.

@mfpantst: I don't agree that flying a chopper is 'accepted death'. At least not any more than getting in any other vehicle or even running around on foot.

@Liber said:

While in BF2 it was a valid tactic, in BF3 it feels terribly broken. In BF2 if 2 air vehicle collided they would both explode, In BF3 this shit is so fucking inconsistent and broken. The most common scenario is when a jet rams a chopper, the chopper explodes midair and the jet gets away with 100%.

Yes this is what I'm talking about. I saw my brother do this last night while playing. He clipped a helicopter as he flew by and it exploded.

Last night I also had two jets converge on a little bird that I was in and obliterate it. Then the two jets ran into each other in the middle of the helicopter wreckage. No survivors. :D

I think if it was easier to take out the air vehicles this wouldn't be such a problem. As it is now, it takes too many Stinger missiles to take an air vehicle down, because you have to waste one to get them to use flares, a second one to damage them, a third to waste more flares, and a fourth to finally take down a helicopter.

@gpbmike: BF3 vehicle physics are weird.

I was piloting AH-1Z on Caspian earlier today, while I was shooting stuff on B the huge antenna smashed my chopper.

I think they're turning Japanese. I really think so.

@President_Barackbar: I'm pretty sure you don't start with 4 stingers... <_<

@Liber: My brother was complaining that the TV guided missiles will sometimes flip the helicopter when fired. And I think one actually blew up the helicopter.

Personally, I'm awful with the jets. So when I do end up in one somehow and inevitably crash, if I killed you it wasn't intentional.

@Voxel said:

I find it more annoying when people fly circles around your carrier or airstrip so that every time you spawn into a jet and try to take off you get destroyed before you get off the ground.

This is infinity more annoying then Kamikazes.

@wmaustin55 said:

@Arker101

@Voxel said:

I find it more annoying when people fly circles around your carrier or airstrip so that every time you spawn into a jet and try to take off you get destroyed before you get off the ground.

This is infinity more annoying then Kamikazes.

Yeah, man. There's a special place in Hell for those assholes

That's why you have AA station in every base.

@gpbmike said:

@President_Barackbar: I'm pretty sure you don't start with 4 stingers... <_<

That's my point.
 
EDIT: Apparently you DO start with 4 missiles

It provides laughs, even when I'm on the receiving end.

I would say something along the lines of: "If it's in the game, it' fine I guess" but when used in real life the tactic has more merit than just being a numerical win to the jet pilot. I think I'm saying that i think a suicide run should have consequences, like a longer re-spawn timer or something of the sort.

@gpbmike: @President_Barackbar: Yeah, I was going to say, if you roll with the explosives perk you get 4 stingers.

Also, I guess I see your point re: expected death. I kinda think as a vehicle the helicopter is one of the more 'knife's edge' between life and death vehicles. That is, the line between surviving a hit of some sort and dying from a hit of some sort in a chopper is considerably thinner than on any other vehicle.

@mfpantst: Well, in the attack helicopter if you coordinate with your flying buddy you can use both the IR Flares and ECM Jammer to avoid being hit and retreat. Even if you are hit you can hide and regen. If you're on fire you can land and repair. As long as you're not being chased. Pro-tip: you can land in the "out of bounds" area and hop in and out to repair without dying.

That said, good jet pilots can take you out pretty fast with guns and/or ramming. Tank shells are always a threat. And I've been sniped in the cockpit a fair number of times. Everyone is out to kill you!

It can be useful to take down a pesky transport helicopter. Once you've mastered the jet tail slap on helis you don't need to though.

@gpbmike: Yeah I somewhere in the realm of suck with the attack chopper, so I kinda don't fly that one so much. Though I like the pro-tip. Totally hadn't thought of that. And on your last point, maybe that's it. People I think might be exceptionally out to get you when you're flying a helo.

@JasonR86 said:

I think they're turning Japanese. I really think so.

well done

It's not worth wasting the plane. But it is an easier way to take down a chopper if you don't have the heat seekers. I'm a pretty good pilot, but I have trouble shooting down the choppers with the gun on the jets.  
 
I find it best to just ignore the attack helicopters, since my chance of shooting them down is low. I just try and help out teammates and make strafing runs with the rocket pods.

I have killed a bunch of helis by ramming them with my jet, none of those kills were intentional.

@wmaustin55 said:

@Arker101

@Voxel said:

I find it more annoying when people fly circles around your carrier or airstrip so that every time you spawn into a jet and try to take off you get destroyed before you get off the ground.

This is infinity more annoying then Kamikazes.

Yeah, man. There's a special place in Hell for those assholes

I was doing this the other night. It's a great way to get target practice in your jet.

I didn't realize that this was in the BF3 forum and just thought the OP was asking about our general opinion on Kamikaze pilots.

Good day.

@President_Barackbar said:

I think if it was easier to take out the air vehicles this wouldn't be such a problem. As it is now, it takes too many Stinger missiles to take an air vehicle down, because you have to waste one to get them to use flares, a second one to damage them, a third to waste more flares, and a fourth to finally take down a helicopter.

You don't fly much do you? Stingers are plenty deadly, any more and there would be no point in flying at all.

@President_Barackbar said:

I think if it was easier to take out the air vehicles this wouldn't be such a problem. As it is now, it takes too many Stinger missiles to take an air vehicle down, because you have to waste one to get them to use flares, a second one to damage them, a third to waste more flares, and a fourth to finally take down a helicopter.

You don't fly much do you? Stingers are plenty deadly, any more and there would be no point in flying at all.