Gunship pilots and gunners have limited battlefield awareness as they can't just turn around and look or rotate their turret full-circle. Thus, it is important for anyone playing a map where you have allied gunships to spot enemies. Most importantly, spot enemy gunships and transports!!! There is nothing worse than setting yourself up for an anti-vehicle run just to get blown out of the sky by an enemy gunship that nobody bothered telling you about. Those gunships are dangerous to everyone, and the best way to take one out is with another gunship. Spotting transports can allow your allied flyboys to blow them out of the sky, possibly saving a flag. Spotting vehicles can make gunshippers aware that the enemy has an armored force that needs to be taken out. So please, spot big things that are troublesome... most importantly, spot enemy aircraft.
Section 1: The Gunner
The reason why Im starting with gunning instead of piloting is because I feel that there are so many gunners who think theyre amazing gunners because they get a few kills when paired with a skilled pilot (please dont take offense at this, it is not directed towards anybody), when in reality the pilot really deserves the credit for the kill.
Let me get to my point: it is quite easy to be an ok gunner. In other words, someone who is able to use the machine gun (for lack of a better word) and kill a few people is NOT coming even remotely close to the full potential of a gunner.
Some core duties a gunner must fulfill:
Know how to properly use the TV Missile
I cannot stress how annoying it can be to be the pilot of a gunner who cannot use the TV Missile effectively. The TV Missile is the most powerful weapon in the entire game (can take out any vehicle in one hit), and on top of that, it even lets you guide it manually so that you do not have to take the effort to aim it! This is the most important tool of the gunner, yet at the same time the most misunderstood. Many, many people underestimate the TV Missile, because it is seemingly impossible to aim.
The key to aiming the missile is DO NOT OVERAIM! When you aim it, use extremely minute adjustments, and that way by the time your missile reaches your target, it will do exactly that, instead of overshooting it due to a rash mouse movement. It is best to only move the missile a few pixels at a time while it is in the air. Something that Ive noticed that can throw people off with this is that the initial box for the missile is not always where you want it to be in order to hit your target, and because of this the shot and would be kill is not taken. Dont worry about it! If you know where the target you want to hit is (enemy vehicles are indicated by a white box outline in the initial firing screen), than with a little practice you will know when you are able to hit your target, and when it will be impossible to. You must also realize that the missile accelerates as it fires, but again with a little practice this is easy to overcome. As a side note the missile also does not have unlimited range, and the range is much shorter than a TV Missile in BF2. But in general if you see the box outline and you fire at it you will be able to reach your target.
The missile is also extremely useful for shooting down opposing gunships and/or enemy transports. It one-hit kills both of them, and there is nothing quite like the satisfaction you get when you pull off that incredible shot at a distance that gets you two kills and leaves your obliterated foe thinking you must hack. For transports, if youre lucky enough you can get 7 kills at once by hitting a transport with a TV Missile if all its seats are filled. Ive done this a couple times, and I must say its awesome when you do get it. But do know that the missile is stopped by the temporary shields that you are able to put up, so try to time it such that they have either just used their shield or you get the sneak on them.
As a warning, it is extremely easy to get caught up with the missile while using it, and thus ignoring your other responsibilities. It takes practice to not do this (admittedly, I still have to work on it as well), but bear in mind that before you shoot a missile, you must decide whether it is worth risking youre attention being dragged away in order to obtain a possible kill. Remember, your pilot will not know what you are trying to do unless you tell him, so let him know! Having a mic helps a ton with this, but you must remember to keep talking to your pilot and letting him know what is going on. EA tried to make 2142 more team based than its predecessor, and I think the gunship is a shining example of this. A gunship team who is in constant communication will tend to utterly dominate the battlefield, given that the pilot and the gunner are doing their jobs.
