I've spent some time improving my fixed weapons skills so that I could get more accurate against cmdrs chaff spamming. I've been working hard at a conflict zone in an eagle trying to perfect my FA off all the time piloting skills with some success, I can now circle targets relatively reliably while hitting them with gimballed weapons fairly continuously. But try as I might, I cannot use both fixed weapons and FA off techniques at the same time because I just can't keep my ship quite steady enough. Is this something that people do? And if so are there any tips you could give me? Is it just hard and needs more practice or do people switch between one technique and the other?
Fixed weapons and FA off?
- Thread starter Nerwan
- Start date
I am sure there are some out there who can pull it off entirely without flight assist, but I usually just toggle FA on for a sec while lining up the shot. Doesn't seem to be much of a detriment to me since you can still continue to use thrusters while it is on, and once your shot window is gone, simply toggle back to FA off. It takes a while to get used to switching between the two, but if you're already pretty comfortable with FA off on its own, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to adapt 
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I am sure there are some out there who can pull it off entirely without flight assist, but I usually just toggle FA on for a sec while lining up the shot. Doesn't seem to be much of a detriment to me since you can still continue to use thrusters while it is on, and once your shot window is gone, simply toggle back to FA off. It takes a while to get used to switching between the two, but if you're already pretty comfortable with FA off on its own, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to adapt
This.
FA off for all of the maneuvering and FA on to keep steady while focused on the small firing adjustments. Works great except for when my wireless keyboard decides to ignore the important button mash to turn FA off/on.
I am sure there are some out there who can pull it off entirely without flight assist, but I usually just toggle FA on for a sec while lining up the shot. Doesn't seem to be much of a detriment to me since you can still continue to use thrusters while it is on, and once your shot window is gone, simply toggle back to FA off. It takes a while to get used to switching between the two, but if you're already pretty comfortable with FA off on its own, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to adapt
I second this. I am rubbish at solely flying FAOFF as I always end up over correcting. However, I think that solely flying one mode or another leads to predictable maneuvers, the key being to switch between the two at the opportune time to confuse the opponent. Also, I find FAOFF does take more concentration so would potentially impact your situational awareness abilities at times. (unless your a flight god or something)
Lol, this! Also those times when you hit the button just right so it registers as two presses and just toggles back to what it was before
I am sure there are some out there who can pull it off entirely without flight assist, but I usually just toggle FA on for a sec while lining up the shot. Doesn't seem to be much of a detriment to me since you can still continue to use thrusters while it is on, and once your shot window is gone, simply toggle back to FA off. It takes a while to get used to switching between the two, but if you're already pretty comfortable with FA off on its own, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to adapt
Right yes.. I've actually been experimenting a little bit with the mouse + FA on to be more a accurate on tiny distant targets too (until they get close), it's just a little more precise than I can get with the flight stick. Wonder if anyone else does that.
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You might be right there, right now the only thing I can think about with FAOFF is firing, keeping the boost/weapons combo right and getting the maneuvers right. As of now though it still takes me a little longer to kill an NPC with FAOFF than ON, I'm still learning I guess.
I am sure there are some out there who can pull it off entirely without flight assist, but I usually just toggle FA on for a sec while lining up the shot. Doesn't seem to be much of a detriment to me since you can still continue to use thrusters while it is on, and once your shot window is gone, simply toggle back to FA off. It takes a while to get used to switching between the two, but if you're already pretty comfortable with FA off on its own, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to adapt
This is how I fly the Conda. The eagle is a bit twitchy and I'd recommend toggling FA rather than leaving it off. Especially aiming at smaller targets.
lol, I tried that in a conda once, I pancaked so many asteroids XD. Pirates must have thought I was clearing an area to build a space station
You might want to check out this channel https://www.youtube.com/user/Isinona/videos all the videos are highly entertaining and FA off at all times but unfortunately he just made he's last video.
That sounds interesting, but I'm not quite sure what you mean by anchoring the elbow? Do you mean securing the joystick to the desk or something? (Btw, saw one of your videos about CQC earlier, ace vid, you're clearly a bit of a FAOFF master ;-))
I basically mean fixing your joystick arm so it has a anchor point other than just gripping the joystick, much like a painter does pin-striping a car with his/her hand and arm anchored on a piece of wood/pole to keep it at steady as possible. A pilot in RL may even do this a little with the control between their legs being able to fix their arm/elbow on their lap/leg at the same time (not completely floating), but in our case resting the joystick arm on the desk/table (where ever you have your joystick) will help to input small joystick control surface inputs very precisely in quick succession.
Appreciate your kind words btw
Slightly off topic and I apologise OP, but does anyone use lateral and vertical thrusters for fine positioning during combat?
Short answer.. yes. You should be using those translating/strafing thrusters to keep your hostile in view whilst positioning yourself just as much as using your main forwards/backwards thrust.
Hum, maybe I'll have a play with my bindings then, currently they are active with a modifier which is a pain in the posterior during combat so I tend to stick to pitch/roll/yaw
cheers
It's really tough, here's a video of a guy who flies a lot of FAoff using all fixed for the first time.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr81Z48Iv94
Why would you want to fly with Flight Assist off? FA off does not improve manoeuvrability in any way. Acceleration remains the same as does pitch, roll and yaw speed. All it does is allow the ship to pitch and yaw without changing direction, nothing more.
Just turn FA on, make good use of your strafing buttons and keep your speed in the blue. If the enemy is too agile for you then just throw the throttle into reverse.
I wish the FA off myth would just go away.
Just turn FA on, make good use of your strafing buttons and keep your speed in the blue. If the enemy is too agile for you then just throw the throttle into reverse.
I wish the FA off myth would just go away.
Have you ever fought someone who's very proficient at FA off? Or seen one of their vidoes? It's no myth. What it's mainly good for is moving around your target continually while continuing to hit them as they try to turn to hit you.