Priority Target vs Incoming Fire Alert on cruisers and gunships

[ArIskandir]

Greetings guys, 

 

What is your take on PT and IFA on cruisers and DD gunships? 

Why would you prefer one over the other?

If you don't like neither, which one would you pick and why?

 

Thank you

[awiggin]

Incoming fire alert only works at long range......PT tells you exactly when you are gonna get focused....

[Skuggsja]

I'm loving priority target on my UK cruisers. It helps me decide when to out down smoke and when to save it for kater.

[KaptainKaybe]

Priority Target absolutely beats IFA. No question about it.

 

Honestly, I have IFA on my Hipper and I'm going to get rid of it now that I have a free captain respeccing today. I find the constant popping up Incoming Fire is just a constant distraction, and I already weave back and forth, so it's not like it helps me at all.

[ArIskandir]

Ok, Thank you guys

[desmo_2]

Pffft...and here I've been taking Expert Loader or Preventative Maintenance for most of my captains.

[ArIskandir]

Pffft...and here I've been taking Expert Loader or Preventative Maintenance for most of my captains.

 

I was tempted a lot by Preventive Maintenance, but in the end I think I prefer a little edge at not being shot than the buff to endure the module damage when shot. Also, the modules help mitigate that problem

[TheKrimzonDemon]

I use neither of them. I play cruisers mostly, so I expect to be the focus of all those BB's, and since I have eyes, I can see whose shooting at me. So, yeah.

 

[BataviaStar]

I'll take IFA over PT. While IFA is only for shells flying in for more than 6 seconds, those could be the big deadly BB shells and IFA gives me time to react evasively right away. PT numbers are scaring indicator which makes you jittery while not necessarily those gun would actually fire at you. In short IFA gives me a real danger warning and I rather deal with a real threat.

[Gramzon_the_Dragon]

I'll take IFA over PT. While IFA is only for shells flying in for more than 6 seconds, those could be the big deadly BB shells and IFA gives me time to react evasively right away. PT numbers are scaring indicator which makes you jittery while not necessarily those gun would actually fire at you. In short IFA gives me a real danger warning and I rather deal with a real threat.

^ I'm with this guy for my cruisers so far. I can see the ships aiming at me at closer ranges and act accordingly. While I'm focusing on these guys or just sailing around it's nice to be alerted to the battleships slinging Hail Mary salvos so I can do a quick adjustment to avoid the shots. Knowing there are no long range shells coming in anyway helps me focus on aiming and dodging at close range to citadel those rival cruisers that turn to torpedo my boat at 7 km.

[Cpt_RickSchwifty]

IFA is in no way comparable to PT.

 

PT is one of the strongest skills that came out with the patch. It tells you SO much more the IFA will ever tell you. IMO IFA is a worthless skill, I ran it for awhile to and compared to the information you get from PT they should not even be compared to each other.

 

For example on Shatter, I positioned my self to suppress one of the many choke points on the map, I had a cruiser pop up at 11km away, I was hidden so he was the only ship that could possibly be spotting me, but for some reason I saw a 3 on my PT icon. So I KNEW he had 2 DDs with him and instead of trying to have a shoot out vs 1 guy, I quickly spent my torps in a big spread down the channel, then turned and started kiting and fighting. Picked up a frist blood off one of the dds and then KNEW that the other guy turned off down another inlet because my targting went down to just the one cruiser chasing me. When you pair it with RDF and Radar it becomes even more potent. 

 

 

Or, you know....you could just know that some BB shot at you 6 seconds ago.....right.....

[Rion12]

In general, I'd take PT over IFA.

 

While the point of "real vs. imagined threat" does come into play, generally, players aren't going to try to mind-game with switching their aim to try to make someone jittery. In a vast majority of cases, something aiming at you means that something's about to shoot at you. 

 

Furthermore, it can give you a bit of an idea of the possibility of unseen opponents lining up on you.

[Kilo69]

 

Furthermore, it can give you a bit of an idea of the possibility of unseen opponents lining up on you.

 

This is why I chose it over IFA.

 

That and to know when I'm spotted and not targetted at all... meaning I can get a little more agreesive and get more guns into the fight... or hold that smoke for later.

 

Also with a division it allows you to talk to each other and figure out if the enemy is planning to pile on your weak guy... then you division mates can make themselves better targets and see if the enemy takes the bait.

 

There is a lot more you can do with PT skill than IFA.  I feel IFA I can do with my eyes easy enough... and if I can't scan I'm likely not able to dodge shells anyway because I'm locked into a knife fight with a bigger threat that has my attention.

[centarina]

PT tells you a lot about enemy composition in the area.   worth it  many cruisers and DDs.

[Xenomancers]

How does PT actually work? Does it let you know if you are targeted? or if guns are pointed in your direction? Because if you have to be targeted it is pretty worthless vs a skilled player. Where IFA will allow you to stay in telescope mode and spam HE at max range and dodge the second they open fire. Both skill are pretty worthless if you ask me when compared to PM.

[HazeGrayUnderway]

As a Cruiser, you are always a priority target, so a UI icon telling you that is sort of meaningless.  Same thing with IFA.  A Cruiser is ALWAYS under gunfire.

 

When a Cruiser is detected, it is always "it."

 

The 2 skills are stupid and a waste, helping lead to the feeling that the T1 traits are all garbage.

 

How does PT actually work? Does it let you know if you are targeted? or if guns are pointed in your direction? Because if you have to be targeted it is pretty worthless vs a skilled player. Where IFA will allow you to stay in telescope mode and spam HE at max range and dodge the second they open fire. Both skill are pretty worthless if you ask me when compared to PM.

 

 

PT works by throwing up an indicator on your upper right of the screen, near your DETECTED! icon and a counter of how many ships are targeting you with main battery.

[centarina]

it tells you how many have locked on to  you  including   airplanes.    worth it.

 

[Lakestone]

I used to have IFA on every CA captains, now all switch to PT. PT is provide more useful information about your situation. Keep me alerted from when to retreat and when to push.

[DwarfKingHack]

IFA makes it easier to dodge fire from one or two enemy ships while still getting shots off in between dodges, but doesn't really help as much when you're being focus fired or taking surprise fire from an unknown direction. It also doesn't often give you any information you can't already get with keen eyes and careful attention. If you're in the kind of fight where IFA will help you, then you can usually afford to just pay attention to the ships you are engaging and use the flash of their guns to time your dodge instead of relying on IFA. Where IFA helps most is when a new challenger enters the fray either from stealth or just from a direction you weren't paying attention to, but PT can also do that for you, and probably better.

PT gives you a little advance notice when you are about to be focus fired so you can start dodging and trying to go dark, which is very nice. It also lets you know when your little 1v1 is turning into a 2v1 or 3v1 more clearly than IFA does, and at ranges where IFA won't function.

[Misniso]

I've noticed that Priority target has a bit of a lag time.  Shots can be on their way before priority target tells you that you're being targeted.  That said, it's rather fun to have because it tells you when you've become public enemy number 1.

 

IFA works nicely as long as a DD isn't nearby plinking you.  When that happens, then IFA remains on the entire time and, unless you're watching its guns, you have absolutely no clue that the nearest BB squeezed in its own salvo.

[Xenomancers]

it tells you how many have locked on to  you  including   airplanes.    worth it.

 

locked as in - they have hit x on you to target with guns? could be easily avoided by locking another ship instead if they wanted to bait you into doing something they will regret. It can also mean very little. It could mean that 3-4 bbs are 20 seconds away from having their guns trained on you - or you are about to take fire from a gearing. I just don't see it offering much more than the detected alert already gives you. You are a DD or CA doing something balsy? You are about to take a lot of fire.

[Cpt_RickSchwifty]

How does PT actually work? Does it let you know if you are targeted? or if guns are pointed in your direction? Because if you have to be targeted it is pretty worthless vs a skilled player. Where IFA will allow you to stay in telescope mode and spam HE at max range and dodge the second they open fire. Both skill are pretty worthless if you ask me when compared to PM.

 

The problem with your logic here is that the game auto targets things. So even if I "don't target you" when i move my mouse and look around it starts automatically targeting anything in my cross hair again. So the idea that it's effectiveness is limited due to "target manipulating" is stretching credibility.

 

[Killjoy1941]

I view IFA as a deleterious skill; it's tempting to stop actively scanning opposing ships and thus tunnel vision tendencies increase over time.

 

PT is something entirely different because it offers little teases of information you otherwise wouldn't have. Being detected and target locked in a 1 v 1 against a DD you can't see allows you to judge his range, for just one example.

 

PT also offers an interesting insight into what I call the Psychology of Bad. Since it's possible to eventually figure out just who has you target locked, I was rather stunned to find some players will lock you and wait for an opportunity to shoot at you and only you. For the entire match. I got curious. They're invariably sub-40% players.

[Cobraclutch]

Really like PT. 

 

I might switch it up on all my ships. I put it on my cruisers and I think I am gonna place it on my DD's as well. 

 

I really underrated this skill at first. I am a very situational aware player but this just makes you into a computer. Its really good. 

[HMCS_Devilfish]

I use neither of them. I play cruisers mostly, so I expect to be the focus of all those BB's, and since I have eyes, I can see whose shooting at me. So, yeah.

Those aren't sunglasses those are blinders right ?