Flying (How to?)

[Cadire]

I see some great flying by pilots ingame, some even from this parish

Now whenever I try it, I seem to lumber about the sky like a myopic sloth. I tried using a joystick (even bought a new one!), but they don't seem to be supported. Using a mouse seems very unnatural... the sensitivity is either too high or too low.

So a question to the aces in the forum... what devices/keys/settings do you lot use?

 

[Faeldawn]

I cant fly for toffee, so would also be interested in any answers

 

[Belsameth]

I use a mouse, turn the sensitivity way up, and invert the controls to match normal FPS directions. that's it basically

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

I tried inverting the mouse but being a manic flight sim junky (WWII Fighters for teh win - rest in peace, JCN) it just didn't feel right.

Back on the ground I get all confused though.. like trying to aim upwards by moving the mouse down etc.

I quite love my Reaver meanwhile - scored some nice kills with it so far. And whizzing through trees whilst having an enemy Mossie or Reaver on my six is just fun - especially when they hit a tree or buy the farm because they get a little too excited and a little too low.

 

[old.ViscountCharles]

Joystick sensitivity is bugged - forget it. Besides, with nop real flight physics forget any sort of realism.

Use mouse - I have mine non-inverted (as I do for all FPS games) so UP really means UP. Sensitivity medium - a lot lower than I have it set for groun-based FPS work.

Set up your keyboard so you have easy access to afterburner, throttle and elevation controls.

Cert in Mozzie - easier, faster, only one gun to worry about.

And practice. I tried flying a reaver for about an hour, spent most of that waiting to respawn new ones - hated it, and didn't cert in any planes for 3 weeks afterwards. Needed fast transport, so tried a Mozzie. Two hours flying Mozzies and I was weaving through the trees, buzzing base doors and generally flying like a veteran.

When you first try air-to-air combat, I'd recommend the "zoom and boom" approach - full throttle all the time, make strafing runs at your target keeping it straight, blowing straight past them and hitting afterburners to escape any attempt they may try to turn and engage you. Won't score many kills on full-health enemy, but won't die much either. Time for proper dogfighting as you learn to fly a bit better.

I'm not going to give away any of my dogfighting tricks here, but any time spent on flight sims or a trot through some of the sites online devoted to them should give you a few clues.

I just wish a few more Liberator pilots did the honourable thing and went down with their crates so I can get proper XP for the kill, instead of bailing and forcing me to strafe them on the ground.

Follow this advice then you too can rule the skies

 

[Sarum TheBlack]

Practice flying in VR.. it's fairly simplistic terrain, but atleast there's no respawn timer. You can even practice dogdighting if you get a friend to play target dummy. (and don't mind the "n0rty" popups when you hit them )

I loved flying the reaver, and won a few dogfights, and racked up a heap of ground target kills with it.. but I've since dropped it for a more utility based AMS+CombEngineer spec. My inf still uses the mossy though, flying through trees on mossy afterburn is fun (and very insane )

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

Treat the Reaver like a chopper - not like a plane.

Helps alot, too.

 

[Cadire]

One thing I've seen some pilots do is suddenly plummet to earth, and then shoot up again... very, very fast. It's a great AA avoidance manouvere (makes me miss anyway), but how do they do it?

 

[Garaen]

Originally posted by Uncle Sick(tm)
I quite love my Reaver

Nooooo, i'll have to come in game and set you straight!

 

[Belsameth]

Originally posted by Cadire
One thing I've seen some pilots do is suddenly plummet to earth, and then shoot up again... very, very fast. It's a great AA avoidance manouvere (makes me miss anyway), but how do they do it?

afterburn down and pull up again, I wager. requires some mouse sensitivity tho

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

Originally posted by .Asmo
Nooooo, i'll have to come in game and set you straight!

Where have you been, you bastich?
Me misses you deawly.

 

[SilverHood]

I wish I could fly with afterburner speed all the time.... it's such a rush

 

[Tenko]

Biggest problem with flying is lag due to conn spd and texture loading, a real problem when your traveling four times faster than the ground vehicles.

But on a quiet day, or early in the morning... Sweet

Oh and I have two flying styles dependant on the threat from SAMS and other AA.

And I'm not sure I'm gonna divulge anything where NC and TR scum can hear it!

I use an inverted mouse but im twisted and use inverted controls when playing all FPS anyway.

 

[CliffyG]

I've just created an infiltrator / pilot and am stuggling a bit with flying too. Have a reaver at the moment but will move to a mossie when i get a couple more BR's and need the extra point. I can't seem to find the medium for good response while flying and ease to aim . If you ever see Gonad flying about please don't shoot me .

 

[Turamber]

Bump ... can reavers lock missiles on target? And, if so, how?

 

[Jonaldo]

Originally posted by Turamber
Bump ... can reavers lock missiles on target? And, if so, how?

no simple answer.

I got two flying styles, one against VS where I just go head on and launch everything I got at them. The other against TR where I fly away well, first I almost get them on-screen before 74 strikers lock on, then I fly away

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

Oh - and don't be a n00b pilot and empty 24 rockets on a single grunt. It's just such a waste.