When and What Role is best for Turning Flight Assist off?

[33duvdwruz]

I recognize there is likely a fair bit of opinion in regard to this question but I am quite curious. I have been doing some trading and exploration with flight assist on. At this stage, I am wondering when to pivot and start turning it off.

· Is it more beneficial to any particular role(s)? Seems like combat and trading benefit at least.
· What role would be easiest to start?
· Which provides the best benefit (all on, all off, or mixed)?
· How best to learn? Keep at it, occasional practice, CQC, etc.
· Should I also disable rotational correction?


I came across a bunch of how to style videos but not so much on when or why.

 

[tafkabb]

Very few people use flight assist off 100% of the time but those who do probably have the most fun.
I'd say those who use flight assist off for making quick turns in combat, and to track passing targets, before turning flight assist back on, are the best combat pilots.
I use it to fly around Coriolis stations, exploring the tunnels and depths. It's very zen.

No, don't turn rotation correction off. That path leads to pain and death.

 

[GilliganTX]

I mainly just use it in combat, and never continuously. I use it by turning it OFF to make quick, direct, purposeful maneuvers, then turn it ON again right away.


I practiced with it by traveling parallel to the face of a station, turning it OFF, and flipping myself so that I was oriented facing the station, traveling along the same vector until I was almost inline with the slot, then turning it back ON and boosting at the mail-slot.

Same thing when leaving stations, travel straight out of the toaster until you're not mass locked, flip it OFF and try and flip yourself so that you are oriented towards your jump-vector in one swift, smooth motion, then click it back ON.


For best results, pair with a large serving of BOOST, adequate PIPS, and intelligent throttle management.

 

[Grumpy181155]

I only use FA Off in combat and then not always Off. usually I am flying FA On until the situation demands Off. It allows you to travel in one direction while pointing in another.

 

[777Driver]

· Is it more beneficial to any particular role(s)? Seems like combat and trading benefit at least.

Combat mostly, although I prefer to keep it offline 99% for most ships no matter what I'm doing. Its really just down to your prefered flying style.

· What role would be easiest to start?

Whatever role you like doing the most, and whatever you are comfortable with. For me I was just doing normal trade runs, docking undocking and maneuvering helped me to get used to the basics before I even attempted to use it in combat

· Which provides the best benefit (all on, all off, or mixed)?

Opinions vary and it depends on your ability, I prefer keeping it off full time, most will say mixed.

· How best to learn? Keep at it, occasional practice, CQC, etc.

Find a remote outpost, learn to maneuver smoothly around fixed points on the outpost, focus on not over controlling the ship, smooth inputs, the difference between controlling thrust with FA-OFF, as opposed to controlling speed with FA-ON

· Should I also disable rotational correction?

Nope, keep it switched on, it's only used for stabilization in large stations.


Good luck! It's a lot of fun once you get to grips with it, you'll find that you are constantly learning even once you think you have mastered it.

 

[goemon]

- occasional FAOFF is helpfull when smuggling
- occasional FAOFF is very helpfull in combat. some of the bigger ships like a python can't be flown in combat effectively without basic FAOFF-manouvers, some ships grow massively in combat when flown FAOFF more often, like a DBE

beyond that, you do it for fun and for the challenge.

there is no role to start with, because in the beginning you will spend plenty of time learning the very basics again, like undocking, or flying into the direction you want to fly towards...

docking an sidey FAOFF was the most challenging thing i have done in this game till now. going for hafnium convoys or smuggling to military outposts is a peace of cake in comparison.

i started FAOFF by flying a sidey, to keep crashing costs low. if you have a lot of money: the bigger, more heavier ships are easier to control in FAOFF, but don't tell it to my python, which i have only lost once, when trying FAOFF around a station... somehow that ring-structure was there and was much faster than my python... i didn't moved into the direction i thought i was flying... eject, eject...

 

[33duvdwruz]

Thank you all. Very helpful advice.

 

[Bacalao]

I stumbled on these videos at the beginning of my elite career and they were very helpful, he kind of goes over pretty much all of it, how, what, when, benefits, pitfalls, etc.

[video=youtube;JWrvKoUJOEw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWrvKoUJOEw[/video]

It starts very, very basic but has a lot of good tips and advice, or at least did for me. If nothing else he demonstrates some very good flying which is always a joy to watch.

 

[Maelthor]

I've watched some pilots on YouTube flying around doing crazy stuff with FA off and it always seems to me that FA off when done right seems like flying an aircraft, like watching a f16 zooming around, constantly boosting and drifting, whereas with FA on its like flying a spacecraft, very precise and all the roundness squared off, if that makes any sense.

I wish I could get that good at FA off but it seems like for starters one would need a Hotas flight system to pull it off, not my poor 360 controller.

 

[the100thmonkey]

In my experience, it makes no difference to flight assist off if you have rotational correction off or on.

I personally suspect the FA-off turns RC off too, but not everyone agrees with me. Regardless, the difference is minimal.

FA-on with RC off, however, is a rather different proposition...

With regards to your other questions, I use it all the time. It makes the biggest difference in combat, allowing you to perform manouevres that are more difficult with FA-on. I learned in a Python. The big ships with high mass (Federal Assault Ship aside) respond slowly to input, which gives you time to correct mistakes and get your head round the behaviour in a somewhat more stately way.

 

[subhouse07]

I second what everyone else has been saying and I'll add this:

Fa-off is really great to use if you are mining. It makes hitting the spot on those spinny asteroids way easier because you can just rotate with them hovering in front of the same spot. I fly with fa off all the time because it's fun. Especially flying around on planets and doing strafe attacks on planetary settlements. There's something super satisfying about circling one of the big defence turrets and blasting it with a cannon.

That being said, you're best bet in actual combat is probably fa-on with the use of some fa-off maneuvers.

 

[SirAdelaide]

As well as the essential combat boost turns, I also use it for docking approaches. If I'm coming from behind the station, I'll boost towards a spot in front of the slot, then FA off turn to line up. Drifting into position while turning is faster than getting in position and then turning.

But like everyone else said, have it on a toggle. I hold Z for FA off, so it can't be on accidentally.

 

[777Driver]

In my experience, it makes no difference to flight assist off if you have rotational correction off or on.

I personally suspect the FA-off turns RC off too, but not everyone agrees with me. Regardless, the difference is minimal.

The difference is only minimal when you enter a station That is because you haven't made contact with the station, only a slight drift is experienced due to the rotation around you.

When you undock with FA-OFF and correction off you'll see a huge difference, your ship has been sitting on the pad rotating with the station, once released the thrusters won't automatically compensate, you'll be launched with the inertia of the rotating station, if you don't manually compensate your will get thrown to the side.

 

[[VR] Deggial]

Until now, I used FA-Off mostly while combat-turning and here with good effect.
I enjoyed FA-Off turns before and after I entered stations, too - but this is indeed only a thing for my personal pleasure.

For my "second life" in ED, I still plan to fly 100% FA-Off and I currently train it in the training missions. However, I don't know, whether or not I will be able to pull this through.

Because:

...docking an sidey FAOFF was the most challenging thing i have done in this game till now...

Ohhh ja! Bouncing of this landing pad again and again and spinning around in the station afterwards is really terrible. Additionally, my "second life" will be lived in VR... and I really don't know, whether or not I will be able to stand this!
Furthermore, I witnessed myself holding my breath when approaching the pad. This can not be healthy on the long run!

But do you know, what I did find even more challenging?
Scooping up those 'toxic waste'-containers in the targeting praxis mission!
When I got ONE of these buggers after 15 minutes of frustrating maneuvering, I felt like having killed my first pirate lord in the early days of this game. I dare you, goemon, try this!

 

[the100thmonkey]

The difference is only minimal when you enter a station That is because you haven't made contact with the station, only a slight drift is experienced due to the rotation around you.

When you undock with FA-OFF and correction off you'll see a huge difference, your ship has been sitting on the pad rotating with the station, once released the thrusters won't automatically compensate, you'll be launched with the inertia of the rotating station, if you don't manually compensate your will get thrown to the side.

I can only go on my experience, and it really makes no difference to me.

[video=youtube;w6ieEXuAZ64]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6ieEXuAZ64[/video]

There really was no difference.

 

[goemon]

I wish I could get that good at FA off but it seems like for starters one would need a Hotas flight system to pull it off, not my poor 360 controller.

if i plan on flying a session FAOFF, i plug out my hotas and plug-in my custom mapped pc-xbox-controller... much easier for me to control all thrusters with it...

 

[777Driver]

@ the100thmonkey - Try it with ship with much more mass, T9/Cutter. You can also do a test in any ship, leave rotational correction on and hover above the pad with FA-OFF, the ship will appear to drift towards the pad due to thrusters mimicking the centripetal force. switch correction off and the ship will remain in place, the station rotates around it.

I'll record a video

 

[ZenZak]

like most here I only use it in combat.

 

[[VR] Deggial]

edit: never mind

 

[Jypson]

For me, Flight Assist Off is a tool like any other feature and only utilize it when it makes sense to do so (for me). I'm an RES combat junky and often turn FA Off to pivot toward my target faster than I would be able to w/ FA On. Those who enjoy FA Off as default are a wacky bunch, but I'm glad they enjoy it