Nice guide, tops marks for putting in so much effort, I'm sure this will help a lot of people. I do have one issue with the fight in the video though, CMDR Bweir in the FDL doesn't seem to do much to counter what the Icourier is doing. Bweir just seems to try pitching up the whole time, and not using reverse or vertical thrusters enough. Circle strafing is a good tactic, something anyone who wants to fight should learn, but I feel like the Bweir could have done a lot more to counter it.
PvP ++ Circle-Strafing ++ Truesilver's Top Tips [Beginner's Guide + VR PvP Vid]
- Thread starter Truesilver
- Start date
With my controller, the default setting is:
With FA ON, the Right and Left Bumpers control throttle.
With FA OFF, the Right and Left Bumpers automatically switch to controlling Forward or Reverse Thrust.
It might be the same with KBM?
Deleted member 115407
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It's the same. When I FA-off in combat, my forward/reverse thrusters act like secondary thrusters with no throttle control. OK, I think that helps me wrap my head around it. I just wasn't sure if I was missing something :S
Thanks GilliganTX!
I am using WASD keys to control Thrusters. With Ctrl-W and Ctrl-S as up and down thrusters. What I need is a solution that, with keys, gain Up/Down thrust with Forward/Reverse. Currently my 'Q' and 'E' keys are mapped for basic Throttle control. So those are used. I could use some suggestions from anyone who uses keys rather than a HOTAS type throttle.
Thanks for sharing. Excellent write-up. I wonder why your opponent stayed in the circle-strafe competition with you after it became evident that he couldn't keep up. Which brings me to the one thing, that I think is missing from your post; How to fight/break an engagement when your opponent has a smaller/faster/tighter strafe-circle than your own.
Breaking away by creating largest possible distance to the circle-strafer: From full reverse to boost creates the biggest change to trajectory as far as I know. Would you suggest the same?
Throttle and fw/reverse thrust can be bound separately within options.
Personally I have my throttle bound to the mouse wheel and fw/rev thrusters bound to pedals, but you can substitute keys for those.
With FA-on, spinning the mouse wheel forwards or back, or applying fw/rev thrust digitally, will have precisely the same effect.
With FA-off, the throttle won't do anything.
My method is to keep throttle at 50% during combat at all times (I never move the throttle except in SC or when landing) and instead to use the fw/rev thruster pedals(/keys) to move speed above or below 50% forwards. So, if I do nothing, speed reverts to 50% forwards. If I go full reverse with the thrusters this overrides the throttle (it doesn't 'push against' it). And when I'm using FA-off I'm using the same inputs as with FA-on.
Hope this helps but I think it might be a 'try it and see' one - but do ask again if I can explain better!
I wouldn't like to speak for the other guy but earlier on this thread a poster noted that I must have been 'just on the edge of his gun sights'. This was a very long, gruelling fight and I was trying to find a method that would work near the end, after trying a variety of tactics. As I said in an earlier post, the 'edge of his gun sights' is a thing ... I did realise that my opponent was (no offence) being a bit hypnotised by almost being able to get me and this was part of the reason why I didn't use the diagonal circle-strafe that you'll see in most of my other vids ... basically I didn't want to spoil it by making it so confusing that he broke out.
In terms of breaking out, though, the ways of doing it are innumerable but pretty much any boost will do it, whether combined with reverse before or after.
I find many of my fights nowadays are against opponents using considerable FA-off and the relevance of circling, when I do it, is not so much that I even get outside their firing arc, it's that it just makes them (usually) miss with fixed kinetic, when combined with frequent direction changes (circle right, suddenly switch to circling left, then boost right, with up/down mixed in too).
Hi there,
I do touch upon your first question in the OP - with FA-on, fw/rev throttle and fw/rev thrust do the same thing - but with FA-off throttle is disabled.
About the 6 axes circle-strafing, the 'diagonal' circle strafing I describe in the OP is what you mean:
So, in diagonal c.s. you are using fw/rev, l/r and u/d thrust, while counteracting that with the three rotational inputs of pitch, roll and yaw.
Although perhaps a bit simplistic, basically we have three straight line inputs and three curved inputs. When we consider that each can be applied in opposite directions, we have 12 directional movement inputs.
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hmm but I just tried it right now with FA off, my forward throttle still function the same as forward thrusters!
Uhm, the point is you have NO throttle with FA-Off.
Experiment to make things clear for you:
Leave FA On. Push throttle axis to half way. Observe speed. Push throttle axis to top. Observe speed again.
Now take FA off. Push usual throttle axis to half way. Observe speed. Keep observing speed.
Now report back with your findings
Uhm, the point is you have NO throttle with FA-Off.
Experiment to make things clear for you:
Leave FA On. Push throttle axis to half way. Observe speed. Push throttle axis to top. Observe speed again.
Now take FA off. Push usual throttle axis to half way. Observe speed. Keep observing speed.
Now report back with your findings
I know that but my question is, what exactly the difference between forward throttle and forward thrusters? I see no difference.
I just answered your question in a roundabout manner...
FA On, your throttle block acts as throttle unless set differently.
FA Off, your throttle block becomes thrust by default.
FA On, throttle. FA Off, thrust.
FA On your speed will settle at a point indicated by where it's set. FA Off, you effectively set the level of acceleration until you hit your max speed.
Cannot make it easier to piece together than that.
You can use thrust with FA On by binding it, but throttle is default.
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The throttle and fw/rev thruster inputs are two different control methods that control the same thrusters on the ship. A bit like cruise control and the accelerator on a car do not control different engines, they are just inputs.
You can however combine the inputs in useful ways.
For example, my default control set up has my throttle locked at 50% and I use fw/rev thrusters to vary my speed. So if I do nothing, my speed reverts to +50% but if I use rev thrust it reduces, fw thrust it increases. (This method overrides the throttle - if I do rev thrust against +50% throttle, the throttle doesn't fight against the rev thrust.)
I only ever actually move my throttle in supercruise or if docking.
truesilver partly get what I was asking about, however the answer bring about a question about what I'm still baffled about, if they both control the exact same engine power, why did fdev create such redundant feature that may get newbies confused with? truesilver devised such creative personal control mechanism with them but for the majority of us, it would seem to be very redundant. In fact it such redundant that most people couldn't be bothered and didn't even ask these questions lol
I have utmost respect for TS, but am not sure an example in action is what you need over a raw explanation.
Firstly, it's not a "feature" for n00bs to get confused with. It's pretty out of the way in the realms of controller setup and is by no means necessary. So you can just completely ignore the differences and enjoy the game in not-so-intense sense until the day you get bored of it.
FD have however made a concerted effort for high-skill flying to be a possible part of the game. This is evident in many of the initiatives in the past as well as statements that "FA Off will NOT become facilitated in any way to make it easier to use, because they want it to be a high-skill technique used briefly in combat for an advantage or for the sheer kudos".
TL;DR you don't have to do anything with this or even remember it exists.
If you are interested in using it, re-read what I put and understand the terms. "Throttle" has no magic change of meaning in what you know it as - it quite literally restricts the flow of something that causes you to move, so that you are kept moving at a consistent pace.
Thrust is just "I want to move". If you leave thrust on, you will keep applying more and more power until in our case you hit an arbitrary speed limit. If ED didn't program "speed limits" in, throttle with FA would theoretically keep you at a consistent speed, where thrust would accelerate you until you're going too fast to survive.
Nice guide!
+1
However, about half way through reading, it suddenly dawned on me that I mostly do this already.... Lol
It's very hard on a semi-broken Xbox gamepad, but it is doable.
I mostly do it in my Grade 5 DD Python.
Which has no armour, just good shields, which makes it very light, and reasonably fast.
I have on many occasion, belly flopped an asteroid. Lol
I even mine this way if I'm bored.. lol
+1
However, about half way through reading, it suddenly dawned on me that I mostly do this already.... Lol
It's very hard on a semi-broken Xbox gamepad, but it is doable.
I mostly do it in my Grade 5 DD Python.
Which has no armour, just good shields, which makes it very light, and reasonably fast.
I have on many occasion, belly flopped an asteroid. Lol
I even mine this way if I'm bored.. lol
Thanks all for the great response to this thread.
In response to some Cmdrs saying that they found it difficult to visualise the basics of circle-strafing because the only original video accompaniment was a PvP vid, I have created the following new demo vid which goes through all the main points in the same sequence as the original guide, with caption explanations.
Note that the use of a SLF and Mother Ship is a great supplement to the other training proposals featured in the OP. I recommend it.
I hope this helps!
[video=youtube_share;RqeBTqwc-xA]https://youtu.be/RqeBTqwc-xA[/video]
In response to some Cmdrs saying that they found it difficult to visualise the basics of circle-strafing because the only original video accompaniment was a PvP vid, I have created the following new demo vid which goes through all the main points in the same sequence as the original guide, with caption explanations.
Note that the use of a SLF and Mother Ship is a great supplement to the other training proposals featured in the OP. I recommend it.
I hope this helps!
[video=youtube_share;RqeBTqwc-xA]https://youtu.be/RqeBTqwc-xA[/video]
Thanks for Your efforts CMDR Truesilver. Really helped me.
Now I have to print this topic and go back to the flight school.
Small input from a no-good pilot. I am using Hotas-X, and Ive managed to learn FA-off (half-decent) by enabling bindings option for speed increase/decrease in 12.5% steps. I also use latheral thrusters as digital input for faster reaction (great for avoiding interdictions and in combat). In those situations I quickly press (with my left thumb) the button on the throttle that switch "rocker switch" from analog to digital. Works for me. My 0.01 Cr...
Now I have to print this topic and go back to the flight school.
Small input from a no-good pilot. I am using Hotas-X, and Ive managed to learn FA-off (half-decent) by enabling bindings option for speed increase/decrease in 12.5% steps. I also use latheral thrusters as digital input for faster reaction (great for avoiding interdictions and in combat). In those situations I quickly press (with my left thumb) the button on the throttle that switch "rocker switch" from analog to digital. Works for me. My 0.01 Cr...