Pilot

Pilot
Available:	Level 6
Ability:	Increases the chances of getting a vehicle by 25% every level-up.
Used:	Start of the battle, new waves deployed.
Quote:	"Yeah, because with your current level, a machine would do a better job than you, grunt!"
Boosts:

File:PilotHelmStatScreen.jpg

The pilot helmet from the stat screen.

Pilot is an unlockable helmet (i,e, Specialization or class) for Troopers to acquire. It increases the current chance of deploying the owned Vehicle in combat by 25% with each level-up, but doesn't help getting vehicle Skills proper. All vehicles seem to have a certain default chance of deployment, pilot's bonus boosts this default value to a corresponding extent. I was here. Heehee!15:40, November 18, 2012 (UTC)15:40, November 18, 2012 (UTC)15:40, November 18, 2012 (UTC)~

"This means if the pilot had 4% chance of using the helicopter without the skill, he will have 25% (0.25) x 4 = 1% more chance of using his helicopter after level 2. This means that by level 2 he will be at 5% chance of using the helicopter. For level 3, he will have 25% (0.25) x 5 = 1.25% more chance of using his helicopter after level 3. This means that by level 3 he will be at 6.25% chance of using the helicopter. same thing for levels 4-5-6-7-8-9-10, etc." As elaborated by doomys .

Synergies

The Pilot class has no effect if the Trooper doesn't own a Vehicle, and since all vehicles barring the Motorcycle are obtained at levels 7 and higher, upgrading a trooper to Pilot is a kind of gamble, since it offers no immediate benefit.

Thus, it is recommended to give Pilot either to a trooper with a Motorcycle to benefit from the Initiative boost for a Shock Tactic, or to a trooper with the Smart skill in order to have more chances of finding a combat vehicle like the Light Tank or Helicopter later on.

Statistically, the chance of finding a vehicle after level 6 can be calculated with the following formula:

• A*B/(C-D+1), where:
  • A is the number of choices:
    • 2 by default;
    • 3 with Smart;
  • B is the number of vehicles still in the pool (not yet acquired, excluding Motorcycle).
  • C is the total number of skills in the pool (140 in total, specializations (8) and default weapons (4) are excluded):
    • 127 for Doctors ( Healing Grenade and Saviour are exclusive);
    • 126 for Scouts ( Binoculars are exclusive);
    • 125 for everyone else;
  • D is the trooper's level.

So, for example, a Pilot with Smart already procured, during promotion to level 7 would have a 10% chance to get any vehicle, 10.08% at level 8, and so on. However, if level 7 would yield, say, a light tank, at level 8 the chance is reduced to 7.56%. By comparison, the very same instances but without Smart would be as likely as 6.67%, 6.72%, and 5.04%. Of course these statistics require buying into the idea that there are no skill that are more rare then others (an idea that is not yet proven).