I'll do it

[Skud]

I've never complained about guys using armor on low population servers. On big maps with 10 players and 15 vehicles and a slow ticket count, it's sad to leave them parked.

When we have only a few players, if most guys want no vehicles, great. If all the tanks are rolling, that's okay too. I don't see it as a "rule"; it's just more fun for everybody that way. If it's not fun, players leave, and that's no good.

One problem is they're all big maps, so, yes, it is more tempting to use armor even when there are few people. Personally, I'll keep trying to kill a tank, even if my team doesn't have enough players (usually takes more than one soldier to do it against a good driver), but more often than not players will get frustrated and leave, which is, I believe, why we've usually tried to limit armor use when numbers are low. In the end, however, it is up to the player, I reckon.

[Apache Warrior]

Phantom and Skud are correct. Starting the server is more difficult when poeple leave because the armor is dominating the 4 players on the other team.
Apache

[Rand{CLR}]

For what it's worth, I actually agree with Phantom on this question, and it's not close.

I would not mind if someone uses vehicles as TRANSPORTATION with low counts, particularly on large maps. I loathe when people use armor, helos, and jets to ACTIVELY kill people in low player count situations.

I don't have a specific threshold, but 10 per side seems about right. The reason is as others have pointed out--it's very unsportsmanlike, and it's very unbalancing. It also ticks people off to the nth degree, and drives a lot of them away, thus making it take longer to achieve start-up.

The only time I will ever get in a tank or APC other than to move from a to b in these low count times is to obliterate the other team's armor users. And I will take great pleasure in blowing them up. Over and over again, if needed.

Practice in vehicles is all well and good, but you don't need to practice against the 3 chumps who just want to walk around grabbing flags while waiting for more people, and don't want to go full on engineer and C4 jihadist 24/7. You can learn a lot from picking small stationary targets and trying to hit from different angles. You can learn a lot shooting different spots on stationary vehicles.

Luckily, I'm not at a point where this has annoyed me enough to do it myself for vengence. I ended up spawncamping after pent-up rage in UT2k4 I think 3 times in 1.5 years. You don't want me in that kind of mood when I have a tank--it don't end pretty for anyone.

-Rand

[Caddys83]

One problem is they're all big maps, so, yes, it is more tempting to use armor even when there are few people. Personally, I'll keep trying to kill a tank, even if my team doesn't have enough players (usually takes more than one soldier to do it against a good driver), but more often than not players will get frustrated and leave, which is, I believe, why we've usually tried to limit armor use when numbers are low. In the end, however, it is up to the player, I reckon.

A little off topic but you know how hard is for me to run up to a tank or amor and C4 them. My K/D ratio takes a dive. Dont k.ow how you guys to it

[Quamin]

You don't ask to become an admin. Cain chooses you to be an admin. It's kinda like American Idol, and Cain is Simon Cowel.

Paula Abdul....

So Cain... hits on Apache?

[S-Man]

A little off topic but you know how hard is for me to run up to a tank or amor and C4 them. My K/D ratio takes a dive. Dont k.ow how you guys to it

It's a little easier in HC mode since they don't have the external cam available. You just have to wait until the turret is turned away from you to make a dash for it. But it's extra difficult if they have thermal optics enabled. God I hate thermals on armor. (Mainly because I don't have them :P )

But on the topic of running choppers and armor during startup, it's pretty annoying when each time you try taking a flag the chopper comes and rapes you before you even neutralize the flag. Armor doesn't help in this instance as a decent pilot demolishes armor so fast.

On the OP's topic of aimbot kicking, yes, it should be enforced more frequently. I've been seeing more and more cheaters on the server lately, and nothing can be done about them. One server I used to frequent in BC2 had a plugin where if someone said "Hack" or anything close to it, an admin got paged and they were in the server pronto. The annoying thing about it is you couldn't even jokingly say "Hack, Hax" or anything like that without paging an admin. Although it did get results quickly. I can't count the times I've seen people in chat asking if an admin is there. IMO, It would be good to try and have someone with admin privileges in there frequently.

[Rand{CLR}]

A little off topic but you know how hard is for me to run up to a tank or amor and C4 them. My K/D ratio takes a dive. Dont k.ow how you guys to it

I do have to say that on one such recent round, where the count was, I believe, 6 guys to 3 and the 6 were using armor, I had some fun blowing up a tank and 3 APCs with C4.

As posted, wait until they're not looking and hope they don't have a gunner, use a scanner, or aren't using the third person view.

-Rand

[Skud]

A little off topic but you know how hard is for me to run up to a tank or amor and C4 them. My K/D ratio takes a dive. Dont k.ow how you guys to it

My kd takes a dive as well, but it's worth it when you get them. The thing that sucked about the day I was speaking of was that 3 charges wouldn't take out his LAV, which left me pretty much helpless unless I could make it to cover and wait for reload. Never seen one take 3 charges before.

[S-Man]

Maybe he had reactive armor?
Also, do you carry more than 3 C4's on vanilla servers? I could have sworn I carried between 4-6 when I first started playing BF3...

Also, yes, it's so exhilarating getting a double or triple kill on a couple of turds in a tank

[goldenfooler]

The air power of course depends on if someone is actually good at it or not. If its me I will hit the water/everything else 10 times out of each kill I get.

Again it depends on whos just playing and how they are playing more then anything. If your playing to dominate you can. If your practicing and just having fun it doesn't matter.

Phantom and I were doing long distance sniper shots at each other.

[Skud]

Maybe he had reactive armor?
Also, do you carry more than 3 C4's on vanilla servers? I could have sworn I carried between 4-6 when I first started playing BF3...

Also, yes, it's so exhilarating getting a double or triple kill on a couple of turds in a tank

He had reactive...but I still thought 3 packs would do it, and that's all I have after spawning...I could have put xtra explosive spec or tried shooting him when he got out to repair if I lived once...instead I switched to rpgs, hoping to outrange sensors or whatever...and eventually I gave up fighting by myself and checked out a server with old Bf3 maps.

[S-Man]

Ah! That's what it is, the Explosives Spec. Forgot about that. I usually carry that as engie. Gives me more RPGs.

[BadHabitz]

Caesar says

[{CLR} Cobalt]

Two things. The first is that depending on what time of day it is. A hacker will clear the server in half a heartbeat. They have come to know in this game, (not just in our server) but in general. No one can do much right away, so they hang around for a few rounds. Then make their way to another server.

They dont even care about getting kicked or banned.

Until EA starts to globally ban these jokers, the best we can hope for it seems is waiting for Cain to ban em from here. Just dont have the admin tools for the job it seems. At least I hope that's what it is.

Second is the startup use of armor. Some guys are dang good at driving tanks. Those are the ones that cause people to leave the server. One problem with that is that not enough people want to be an engineer to counter the armor. I cant tell you how many times I"ve gone up against armor by myself and lost. Just because the rest of the team doesnt have the weapons to engage and have to hide.

If everyone would take time to kill em , it wouldnt be half bad.One of my favorite parts of this game is seeing 2-4 rockets shot at about the same time at a tank, or 2-3 Javelins get launched at a chopper at the same time. Screaming death when those things are done right.

My suggestion is to use a map that doesnt have a lot of armor on it for start up. At least you'd have a chance, if you didnt have to go up against 4 pieces of armor and 2 choppers at a time.

On the other hand, I do like aggravating Apache in tanks. I'm mostly harmless in a tank and dont last long but it's fun to hear him holler like a girl.