Seems to me, nearly the entire pbase doesn’t quite get the concept of spotting in this game (like they think it’s like World of Warships or something) … which is mostly just seeing where the enemy is and pressing the V key… which peeps REFUSE to do…
With air support flying around going WTH, don’t want my guns / rockets / 50cal guns?
Maybe I’m wrong…
Do you know who is in a really good position to spot high value targets?
Aircraft.
Yeah, imagine you don’t know how to spot thung with airplane, it’s really so unimaginably easy. And if there’s no enemy vehicle, just bomb/shoot at objectives. I really don’t know why so many newbies cannot spot for themselves, only blocking plane slots & spamming chat.
What are you talking about? I am a highly experienced pilot and this is entirely false. Even in the real world, eyes on the ground is HOW aircraft hit things. It is absolutely necessary for the team to spot for aircraft. Yes, sometimes I see tracers or a tank cannon blast and I can do it without, but a concealed tank, using bushes and buildings as cover is NOT easy to spot in an aircraft. This is fundamentally false and either you are lying to yourself or you aren’t experienced enough in aircraft to know this. I do understand that some are going to better at some things than others, but in my anecdotal experience, ground spotting is needed for direct kills(not just spamming the ground) and theoretically and IRL it is also necessary.
They literally made it easier to mark tanks when in a plane and people still complain. Incredible.
i… am a horrible plane player, but spotting targets on the ground from a plane is really hard. sure, i can see the tracer fire from the sky, but as ethantokes said, it’s not that reliable.
and then there’s the god plane players who seems to know their plane, the entire field, the enemy tanks, and the entire sky like the back of their hand. those players don’t need spotter, nor do they spot (they just kill what they see, which is a lot)
that said, a lot of player in this game are godawful with spotting, me included. not helping the matter is that the enemy… moves! making marker even more inaccurate 
@145985158 don’t lose heart! unless you’re the kind of player that spam “need enemy position” in chat, then maybe you may lose heart?
If you can’t see enemy targets or know where to predict enemies when you’re in an aircraft
Don’t use it , Stop hogging planes and let other experienced pilots to use them, if you want to learn spotting, use the training room or an empty custom game lobby, you may learn high spawn areas and atleast get the gist of a high traffic area
Unfortunately, this is a tired conversation.
As an experienced player, I can spot my own targets well. If I ask it’s because I have not seen a tank and want my team to tell me if there is one bothering them.
Then there is the matter of being in an airplane at all. If it’s justified then asking once per bombing run (or less) seems reasonable. If the team is struggling due to lack of forces on point… asking for targets is pretty annoying.
Of course, if the match is entirely lost (or won) then just do a dude a solid and mark some targets.
In my (limited) experience… it’s situational. I don’t buy into the the air-support is God on high, and sees all (no matter how good you “think” you are), and knows the highest priority targeting at all times. (Nearly ALL players think they are much better than they are).
In a straight-on “assault” … if the air support player is spamming “target mark requests” I’m going to raise an eyebrow (at the very least). If he doesn’t know the 10 times out of 11 obvious targets he needs to soften… well… (he really should give the plane to someone else).
However in the other modes in some scenarios the clear sight of targets can be fairly obscured, whether its jungles or what-not. In most every encounter the ground-forces are going to have a better grasp of where their greatest resistance is.
The air support gets one pass, before a lengthy turn-around, and often has one or two ordinance drops before he has to leave the combat zone to re-arm to his best. It is a foolish waste IMHO to consistently rely on his guesswork (genius / experienced / educated) when boots on the ground can point the way with a simple press of a simple key. It’s real-world, and its obviously how the devs intended it.
I’ve had a few games, very few where my team was great about keeping the map lit on enemy locations (whether I was boots on the ground or air)… and it always made a difference.
you can literally spot tanks that are far beyond your render distance by simply spamming the spot button.
aircraft pilots who can’t find their own targets are worse than AI.
For me, the “Need enemy position” request means “I’m starting an attack run, what do you want me to kill?” I ask once on the way in and if nobody responds I find my own target.
Maybe try using your eyes? Ever think of that?
Many people say that allowing pilots to visually search for targets. But ground personnel using their ‘V’ is clearly very useful. And the time for the plane to dive is not long. You need to observe the trajectory of the tracer and find it, and also adjust the flight direction to attack it. Air support is for infantry, and it is easier for infantry to find targets. Marking can make airplanes more accurate in eliminating high-value targets. Anyway, I really appreciate those who often mark enemies
I mark my own Hard targets as a pilot, and can generally use the map to work out the enemy position. (usually lined up opposite of where most of your blue berries are congregated and facing)
Having said that, it is MUCH better if someone on the ground knows the most likely place the enemy rally is and mark it. Helps everyone
I don’t mind the idea of a spotter plane, No weapons, just fly’s around of the battle field with binoculars, can spot and call in the odd artillery barrage. (not needed just neat)
Except not really. We can’t see most things unless we’re /dangerously/ close to the ground, and we can see tracer before we can see models on infantry or tanks/constructibles. We can /try/ to spot a tank while we’re flying, but that’s hazardous and not the best use of our time.
Use the marker. Ideally, use it often, and before we need it.
Not always, or even usually
I’d say bomb/shoot at the approaches. Even in Pacific. Sure, a lot of the points are open, but they’re /huge./ Leave the infantry to fight the point, hit the approach.
I don’t bother marking on approach. I’ll drop/strike vehicles I can see firing, and maybe, if my maneuvers allow, mark relative positions on RTB, but in general, CAS pilots will be /far/ more effective with intel from the ground.
Stop pretending to represent all pilots. Marking vehicles from the air is incredibly easy.
It’s fucking not though?
Edit: Seeing them is easy, marking them is a different beast. You don’t represent all of any one group either, fuggin’ chill.
Marking them is easier than actually seeing them, just spam V
In your experience. Spamming V, while also freelooking, flying, and dropping bombs or aiming rockets? Nah fam. Infantry needs to do better at marking shit.
Yes