2008-04-08, 21:03:42
The biggest drawback of an air ship is it's low HP, one skill less, and lack of stun spells (save for heli). For same gold you have a 1000+ hp advantage on mid-term tanks (vs AirShip), and you better be good using SkyTank, because you HAVE to buy hulls to keep up at that point, thereby reducing your damage potential. Once infernals and frost robots are in the game, SkyTanks are usually a liability for defending and attacking waypoints (which force players to be close).
Unless you manage to win before that, which is completely feasible if you use the only real advantage of air ships: the ability to fly. Too often people use that in a bad way however. Using only long-range weapons (bombardment and such) is incredibly risky against a crafty opponent. But using a hit-and-run tactic, flyers can be a real pain to counter.
Short range flyers are very good tower destroyers because of their ability to get out quick, and long-range are better for player harassment. Both have their strength and weaknesses.
However, if you have a hard time against flyers, here is my little techniques. Most work out well, but the real way to win is to be able to reach late-game tanks. At that point, even the SkyTank as severe HP problems and mobilty will not be as important as before.
- Anti-air weapons: Sure there ARE anti-ground weapons. In fact, only one worth of mention. If you buy it you are commited to staying air (and close range migth I add). But there are MANY anti-air weapons, and as such you have more leeway into countering airships. Nets (3 second immobility) are good, but not if you can't reach the ship quickly. Still, immobilize a ship that does not have armor or repairs and he may quite be dead given the right situation (fleeing half-dead flyers come to mind). Anti-Air (the weapon) is nice but ONLY against flyer players, at short range. Therefore, if the flyer has any brains, he will never go in contact with you (unless nets, but nets make a flyer GROUND for it's duration, thereby making him invulnerable to the weapon). Also means you are commited to fighting flyers. If they switched, you lost 3k gold. The best anti-air is plasma fragments. Why? Good damage, firing rate, dual-mode (air-normal) and 1k range. In air mode, you will only target two things: air creeps (few and far between) and flyers. Considering that the air creeps will die soon, you can consider the plasma fragments a 600 DPS player only weapon against flyer, at 1k range for only 6k gold. Using two of them usually means you can kill a SkyTanks with a gold hull in 10 seconds, not considering any spells, other weapons and contengency measures. The best thing is when you know you will be fighting against something OTHER than air, you can switch the mode and still use your anti-air weapon against anything. You do not have to sell that weapon if there is no air players anymore, making the plasma fragment a no-risk investment against flyers.
- Speed and Teleport: Apart from flying, the big advantage of flyers is speed. They need skill points to get it (therefore reducing their potential damage output using skills), but they usually have before ground tanks. That is until you get speed upgrades, or better yet, a teleport, or even better, both (speed pack). Unless the flyer is short range, teleporting dead center below a flyer that is not surrounded by creeps (happens a lot since they use different routes) is usually bye-bye for that flyer, as ground tanks got more skills, HP (usually). Besides, if the flyer switch to ground, he's got to buy at once a speed upgrade to match yours or he will be greatly disavantaged. Good players have this in mind.
- Pressure: Usually flyers are bad for pressure, especially long-range ones. If you keep the attack going, flyers make poor defenders for the main base, not having much damaging spells for buildings and low HP. If flyers are retaking your waypoints with ease: let them. Attack their main base and they will have a hard time switching strategy (from a fleeing one to defensive one)
Of course, there are many GOOD strategy with flying tanks. But you must always be ready to switch when it does not work, and the large majority of flying players i've seen are hard pressed to do that when countered. You just to be aware of your shortcomings, and I hope I pointed a few of them for air-lovers out there.
Seen you in the battlefield!
Unless you manage to win before that, which is completely feasible if you use the only real advantage of air ships: the ability to fly. Too often people use that in a bad way however. Using only long-range weapons (bombardment and such) is incredibly risky against a crafty opponent. But using a hit-and-run tactic, flyers can be a real pain to counter.
Short range flyers are very good tower destroyers because of their ability to get out quick, and long-range are better for player harassment. Both have their strength and weaknesses.
However, if you have a hard time against flyers, here is my little techniques. Most work out well, but the real way to win is to be able to reach late-game tanks. At that point, even the SkyTank as severe HP problems and mobilty will not be as important as before.
- Anti-air weapons: Sure there ARE anti-ground weapons. In fact, only one worth of mention. If you buy it you are commited to staying air (and close range migth I add). But there are MANY anti-air weapons, and as such you have more leeway into countering airships. Nets (3 second immobility) are good, but not if you can't reach the ship quickly. Still, immobilize a ship that does not have armor or repairs and he may quite be dead given the right situation (fleeing half-dead flyers come to mind). Anti-Air (the weapon) is nice but ONLY against flyer players, at short range. Therefore, if the flyer has any brains, he will never go in contact with you (unless nets, but nets make a flyer GROUND for it's duration, thereby making him invulnerable to the weapon). Also means you are commited to fighting flyers. If they switched, you lost 3k gold. The best anti-air is plasma fragments. Why? Good damage, firing rate, dual-mode (air-normal) and 1k range. In air mode, you will only target two things: air creeps (few and far between) and flyers. Considering that the air creeps will die soon, you can consider the plasma fragments a 600 DPS player only weapon against flyer, at 1k range for only 6k gold. Using two of them usually means you can kill a SkyTanks with a gold hull in 10 seconds, not considering any spells, other weapons and contengency measures. The best thing is when you know you will be fighting against something OTHER than air, you can switch the mode and still use your anti-air weapon against anything. You do not have to sell that weapon if there is no air players anymore, making the plasma fragment a no-risk investment against flyers.
- Speed and Teleport: Apart from flying, the big advantage of flyers is speed. They need skill points to get it (therefore reducing their potential damage output using skills), but they usually have before ground tanks. That is until you get speed upgrades, or better yet, a teleport, or even better, both (speed pack). Unless the flyer is short range, teleporting dead center below a flyer that is not surrounded by creeps (happens a lot since they use different routes) is usually bye-bye for that flyer, as ground tanks got more skills, HP (usually). Besides, if the flyer switch to ground, he's got to buy at once a speed upgrade to match yours or he will be greatly disavantaged. Good players have this in mind.
- Pressure: Usually flyers are bad for pressure, especially long-range ones. If you keep the attack going, flyers make poor defenders for the main base, not having much damaging spells for buildings and low HP. If flyers are retaking your waypoints with ease: let them. Attack their main base and they will have a hard time switching strategy (from a fleeing one to defensive one)
Of course, there are many GOOD strategy with flying tanks. But you must always be ready to switch when it does not work, and the large majority of flying players i've seen are hard pressed to do that when countered. You just to be aware of your shortcomings, and I hope I pointed a few of them for air-lovers out there.
Seen you in the battlefield!