FA: off with mouse and keyboard

Manshonyagger · May 23, 2015

I was thinking of learning to fly with Flight Assist off fulltime, just for a challenge.

I'm using mouse and keyboard, and the learning curve sure is steep. I've just spent half an hour unsuccessfully trying to scoop barrels in the training sim.

Anyone out there playing this way? If so, can you share your control setup?

Relative mouse helps a bit, but what axes are you mapping where? Sensitivity? Deadzones?

AnCap · May 23, 2015

Sorry I can't help you more directly but I can say that you are going in the right direction. From my understanding mouse and Keyboard is a perfectly fine way to fly in FA off. In fact Most of the videos you will find featuring pilots using FA off are also using Mouse and Keyboard. It's great for those small adjustments. I would guess the biggest tip is to have pitch and yaw on the mouse movement but I have not tried it.

Manshonyagger · May 23, 2015

Ha, I had some things set wonky, it's getting a lot better.

F/B/L/R = W/S/Q/E
Yaw L/R = A/D
U/D = lshift/lctrl

Mouse = pitch/roll
Relative mouse: yes (on both axes - I had only one set, somehow, and that was weird)
Deadzone: 0%
Mouse sensitivity: about 15%
Relative mouse rate: about 15%
Power curve: 0%

I just scooped four barrels in a few minutes.

Now to get my ass handed to me in combat training...

Manshonyagger · May 23, 2015

Hoo boy.

LordDread · May 23, 2015

commendable effort learning no fa on a kb

i smell crazy on this guy....

Aewarin Jameson · May 23, 2015

Certainly you should lock up the women and children

Manshonyagger · May 23, 2015

Haha.

I am getting consistently creamed in basic combat; my fixed aim was never great, so it's completely hopeless in this. Dying to a no-shields sidey... Oh dear.

Skirmish, with the gimballed weapons, though, was great. Massively better turning circle, and no problems tracking, even with default power distribution.

If I can just dock this puppy, I might just risk going back to the real game like this.

That's for tonight, though.

WillFrog · May 24, 2015

As I've said before please FD, for the love of god, give us a relative mouse mode toggle with flight assist! Otherwise with relative on it becomes like flying through molasses as soon as you switch FA back on. You're pretty much stuck with exclusively FA on or off atm, unless you fancy trying to change your key bindings in the middle of a fight.

Jognt · May 24, 2015

I use relative only for the roll axis. I use headlook to zero the pitch input. (headlook bound to mouse 4) a small tap of the headlook button will completely zero the mouse input so it's easy to stop input at the exact moment you need it.

Iori · May 24, 2015

The mousewheel to set my speed does not work with FA off.

Manshonyagger · May 24, 2015

holycrap I just docked

The slowest, bounciest, crunchiest and most cringe-inducing landing of all time, but I did it

Might need to practice a whole bunch more times before I try it on an actual paid-for ship, though...

Videos of FA: off docking attempts should totally be a thing. Extra points for doing it in a conda!

Manshonyagger · May 24, 2015

Okay, so:

* Docking with FA off is just silly. No.

* Combat is definitely a bit less efficient overall; there's a fair bit more chasing, and RES is gonna get scary, I think.

* When you are in range, though... those turns are sweet. Get behind me? Excuse me, but I do not think so. No sir, you will not.

* It feels like flying a spaceship, not driving a bus. This is awesome.

Not going back. Except for docking (and maybe rocks)

So much fun. So much fun.

Manshonyagger · May 27, 2015

Update, not that anybody cares:

* Relative rate all the way down.

* It's like rollerskating on butter.

* As willfrog says, it's a pain and a half that you can't toggle between relative mouse (for FA off) and absolute (for FA on and supercruise). Steering in supercruise has become quite annoying.

* Because of the weird speed-limit physics, the magnitude of your vector is sharply limited - and lateral thrust does not automatically slow your current trajectory before adding the new force.

* As such, if you're going at the speed limit, you have no lateral thrust. Rock hurtling towards you, you have to slow down before it will let you dodge.

* I really wish there were a flight-vector indicator on the HUD. Space dust is really hard to judge by.

* I'm getting closer to docking with FA off- I can more or less get through the slot and to the pad OK, it's just the fine positioning that still eludes me.

* Went RES hunting in the dark, and only mildly slammed into rocks a few times.

Stiffmaister · May 27, 2015

I suggest to set Pitch, yaw and roll even to a key for digital input. When you swtich on the FA or you are in supercruise you let your mouse on the table and use the key you have mapped (i.e. canc-end-pgdwn-ins-home-pgup). In supercruise you don't need precise movements and relative mouse is a pain in the ass.

Manshonyagger · May 27, 2015

Yeah, that works fairly well. Thanks for the suggestion

In other news, I just made a TOTALLY PERFECT landing with FA off. Not just acceptable, I'm talking better than any FA on landing I've ever made. No last-minute corrections, just glided in with the perfect angle of attack and constant velocity, like a 747. Single touch, no slide, and barely even wobbled after locking down.

furrycat · May 27, 2015

Manshonyagger said:
ust glided in with the perfect angle of attack and constant velocity, like a 747

That's the way to do it. Remember that as soon as you enter the station you are under the effects of the artificial gravity. You're now flying a plane and you should land it like a plane.

I fly FA off with HOTAS. I doff my captain's hat to you for doing it with mouse and keyboard.

Jarsil · May 29, 2015

Jognt said:
I use relative only for the roll axis. I use headlook to zero the pitch input. (headlook bound to mouse 4) a small tap of the headlook button will completely zero the mouse input so it's easy to stop input at the exact moment you need it.

Man, you really saved my day. I am a complete newbie and didn't notice the Headlook binding... I was having space sickness trying to dock!

Nice idea to learn to fly without FA. I will absolutely try... someday

Frenotx · May 29, 2015

WillFrog said:
As I've said before please FD, for the love of god, give us a relative mouse mode toggle with flight assist! Otherwise with relative on it becomes like flying through molasses as soon as you switch FA back on. You're pretty much stuck with exclusively FA on or off atm, unless you fancy trying to change your key bindings in the middle of a fight.

This please. 1000x this.

markuslig · May 6, 2016

Did we get it yet? i sure cant find it

And whats up with docking at rotating space stations, it feels really weird when you get close to landing pad... I can manouver fine but this is really tricky, any pointers?

Jesse30 · May 7, 2016

Jognt said:
I use relative only for the roll axis. I use headlook to zero the pitch input. (headlook bound to mouse 4) a small tap of the headlook button will completely zero the mouse input so it's easy to stop input at the exact moment you need it.

Headlook bound? If I'm using Hotas is that option I could use? I'm good with FAoff since I been doing it for two years now, but is never too late for this old dog learn new tricks.