Mobile AA should shoot ground units

We've had topics talking about AA towers only shooting air, but I think it needs to go the other way, mobile AA should shoot ground units.

Seriously, mobile AA is a waste of space, no one is going to build it ever because it reduces the number of ground units you have doing their job, and it's simply less effective than building fighters which are superior at the role of shooting down air in every single way.

By giving them some anti-ground capability you give people some reason to actually build the things. Probably not enough reason, but it's a start.

Quitch, given your comments in the comeback thread would you please clarify if your posts are from a perspective of vs AI only or PvP? I feel this is an important distinction when you are discussing balance.

On actual topic from memory TA mobile AA shot ground but the missiles were generally pretty weak. This seemed reasonable to me.

Well actually TA is the cautionary tale because swarms of mobile AA were the dominant ground force in that game.

I'm gonna post this in here: I'd very much like to see a border to the structure silhouettes -- before you put them down and start building.

Also, it would be cool if the silhouettes and borders snapped to an invisible grid (and to eachother). I would like to build in a more stylized, efficient and orderly fashion than is currently possible, i.e. building are chaotically dispersed.

You're gonna hate me for saying this, but I think this is an area where it wouldn't hurt to learn from Supreme Commander.

I can agreed with you but.
I think the mobile AA showld do what they are doing they can be very usefull,they just need bit moore work.

That has nothing to do with this topic, why on earth would you bury that in here?

Why did you feel the need to post this in this thread?

The buildings already snap together to some degree.

Agreed, you do not wish to make a single unit dominant. Hence put a penalty on the AA missile vs land and sea?

Because I consider this a suggestion thread and I didn't want to clutter the forums with another thread for one suggestion. Valid enough reason for you?

And building barely snap together. It's not even close to what I had in mind and if you'd played SupCom you would know what I'm talking about.

I would hope you can balance air HP such that a weapon powerful against air is weak against land and sea without special damage modifiers.

No, go make your own thread.

Please make a new thread to discuss this issue. It has remotely nothing to do with this thread or the title and is unlikely to attract relevant discussion based on such.

Since when are you two grinches moderators and have the right to tell me what to do? Back off.

They hate Christmas?

But you were off topic, so they can request that you do, before they actually follow the rules about being off topic.

You people are insane. I'm out.

I'm stealing your game, bro. Seriously, this was the wrong place to post. Please post a new thread so we can get some relevant discussion in it (it's an important issue, it deserves it's own thread!) and keep this thread to discussing the mechanics of mobile AA.

EDIT: also, Christmas sucks. Bah! Humbug!

I don't think soo, and AA is not balanced yet(atleast is what I think)...

Like you can build fighters, but if you make 2 or 3 AA for your entire army you can defend yourself against bombers, and if the enemy have Air Control you will not be able to make Air units.

Having all units able to shoot on anything with different degrees of efficiency brings more flexibility.
AA mobile launchers & AA towers were able to shoot ground units on TA.
And tanks were also able to shoot down airplanes using their main gun, and luck.

That is even perfectly realistic as real life AA batteries are able to shoot ground based stuff, and real life tanks are able to shoot air stuff (slow enough, like helicopters) using their 120mm cannon.

That is also removing the classical and widely used rock/paper/scissor scheme.

2 or 3 AA will not defend your army. It takes one mobile AA about 4, maybe 5 shots to down a tier 2 bomber. A single bomb from that bomber will kill all that AA.

Firstly, let's not break out the realism card. I don't care, no one should care.

Secondly, while tanks could in theory shoot down air in TA, it happen so rarely it may as well not have been in at all. In fact, what was a more common effect was that your turrets were facing the wrong way and you shelled your own buildings. When artillery decided to track a plane that would just piss me off.

Right now ground AA units are completely pointless – especially when Adv Bombers are on the field. A single Adv Bomber can take out a whole grouping of Spinners before getting shot down – if it even does get shot down.

Ground AA needs a lot of work as is.

Fighters are the only reliable form of AA.