Developer Diary: Lynx Skyranger Update
Commanders!
It’s been a while since we announced the Lynx Skyranger Tier 10 Premium AFV and we’d like to return to it with an update. The original article features the general description of the vehicle’s weapon systems and capabilities and we’d like to disclose more about their current state and how the vehicle will be played.
The main idea behind the Skyranger is burst damage as well as anti-scouting. In other words, the 30mm gun will have the ability to deal damage in short (or longer) bursts followed by periods of cooldown. The 30mm Oerlikon gun uses the Gatling gun mechanics with AP ammunition as such:
The gun can tear up a Centauro 120 in three bursts providing you are aiming at a green area. It’s also quite accurate – it can do so at 300 meters. However, against heavier targets it’s far less effective and don’t even try to engage MBTs frontally using this ammo type – it won’t work.
The second ammunition type – High Explosive Programmable – does pretty much exactly what the initial announcement article mentioned. It explodes above a target dealing damage to the roof using its blast wave (or “splash” in Armored Warfare terms). Firing at a target directly makes it behave pretty much exactly like any normal HE ammunition.
To use its special features, you must aim slightly above the target. Since this requires careful aiming, it’s only possible against static targets unless you have an exceptionally accurate hand.
When used correctly, this firing mode can deal devastating damage to almost any static target in hulldown position. Against MBTs it often destroys the turret-mounted APS and damages its gun, leaving the target open to attacks by other players and unable to retaliate. However, this type of ammo is very situational and only skilled players will be able to use it to its fullest potential.
The third weapon system is the Starstreak missile. Starstreak is not a true ATGM – it’s a dual-purpose warhead that’s possible to use against ground targets in real life. However, such a use is not its primary intended function – it’s still an anti-air missile. It is therefore quite small and deals limited damage.
To make it viable, the Armored Warfare version works like a kinetic missile. It doesn’t deal a whole lot of damage (especially at short ranges) but the further from you the target is, the more damage will the missile deal and the more armor will it penetrate. Compare the values at 50 meters:
To the values at 600 meters:
The missile also flies very fast (2000 m/s) and ignores enemy APS. As the description suggests, the missile should not be used at close ranges (that’s what your gun is for). You can launch two missiles in rapid succession (2 seconds between launches). Together, they can deal roughly 700-1000 damage, followed by 14 seconds of reload time. Once again, it is a situational weapon that’s best suited against targets far from you where it will deal more damage than your cannon bursts.
And finally there’s the active ability, the High Energy Laser. Simply put, it reduces the enemy viewrange by 70% for 18 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of cooldown. This can be a useful tool against passive scouts that can buy you a few seconds of time. Doesn’t sound like much but it can make all the difference in the world in certain situations.
And that’s pretty much it. The vehicle has NERA-covered hull but its unmanned turret is fairly vulnerable to all kinds of incoming damage – this is not a front-line fighter, it should stay behind stronger vehicles at all times. At the same time it’s quite large and has a corresponding camouflage factor of 20% which really isn’t all that much. On the bright side, it does have the Recon Package, a special set of sensors and a very high baseline spotting range.
If you’ve made it this far into the article, you’ve probably realized that unlike the Namer, this won’t exactly be a new player friendly vehicle. The Lynx Skyranger is a specialized tool that can deal a lot of damage under certain circumstances. Nonetheless, some careful gameplay will be required.
We hope you will enjoy it and, as always:
See you on the battlefield!
It’s been a while since we announced the Lynx Skyranger Tier 10 Premium AFV and we’d like to return to it with an update. The original article features the general description of the vehicle’s weapon systems and capabilities and we’d like to disclose more about their current state and how the vehicle will be played.
The main idea behind the Skyranger is burst damage as well as anti-scouting. In other words, the 30mm gun will have the ability to deal damage in short (or longer) bursts followed by periods of cooldown. The 30mm Oerlikon gun uses the Gatling gun mechanics with AP ammunition as such:
- 2-second bursts
- 80 damage per shot
- Deals reduced damage even upon non-penetration
The gun can tear up a Centauro 120 in three bursts providing you are aiming at a green area. It’s also quite accurate – it can do so at 300 meters. However, against heavier targets it’s far less effective and don’t even try to engage MBTs frontally using this ammo type – it won’t work.
The second ammunition type – High Explosive Programmable – does pretty much exactly what the initial announcement article mentioned. It explodes above a target dealing damage to the roof using its blast wave (or “splash” in Armored Warfare terms). Firing at a target directly makes it behave pretty much exactly like any normal HE ammunition.
To use its special features, you must aim slightly above the target. Since this requires careful aiming, it’s only possible against static targets unless you have an exceptionally accurate hand.
When used correctly, this firing mode can deal devastating damage to almost any static target in hulldown position. Against MBTs it often destroys the turret-mounted APS and damages its gun, leaving the target open to attacks by other players and unable to retaliate. However, this type of ammo is very situational and only skilled players will be able to use it to its fullest potential.
The third weapon system is the Starstreak missile. Starstreak is not a true ATGM – it’s a dual-purpose warhead that’s possible to use against ground targets in real life. However, such a use is not its primary intended function – it’s still an anti-air missile. It is therefore quite small and deals limited damage.
To make it viable, the Armored Warfare version works like a kinetic missile. It doesn’t deal a whole lot of damage (especially at short ranges) but the further from you the target is, the more damage will the missile deal and the more armor will it penetrate. Compare the values at 50 meters:
- 400 points of damage per launch
- 500mm of penetration
To the values at 600 meters:
- 600 points of damage per launch
- 1000mm of penetration
The missile also flies very fast (2000 m/s) and ignores enemy APS. As the description suggests, the missile should not be used at close ranges (that’s what your gun is for). You can launch two missiles in rapid succession (2 seconds between launches). Together, they can deal roughly 700-1000 damage, followed by 14 seconds of reload time. Once again, it is a situational weapon that’s best suited against targets far from you where it will deal more damage than your cannon bursts.
And finally there’s the active ability, the High Energy Laser. Simply put, it reduces the enemy viewrange by 70% for 18 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of cooldown. This can be a useful tool against passive scouts that can buy you a few seconds of time. Doesn’t sound like much but it can make all the difference in the world in certain situations.
And that’s pretty much it. The vehicle has NERA-covered hull but its unmanned turret is fairly vulnerable to all kinds of incoming damage – this is not a front-line fighter, it should stay behind stronger vehicles at all times. At the same time it’s quite large and has a corresponding camouflage factor of 20% which really isn’t all that much. On the bright side, it does have the Recon Package, a special set of sensors and a very high baseline spotting range.
If you’ve made it this far into the article, you’ve probably realized that unlike the Namer, this won’t exactly be a new player friendly vehicle. The Lynx Skyranger is a specialized tool that can deal a lot of damage under certain circumstances. Nonetheless, some careful gameplay will be required.
We hope you will enjoy it and, as always:
See you on the battlefield!
