So i finally decided to get myself a FDL yesterday, and after a couple of hours of engineering grind, i had it fully fitted. So i decided to try it out in the local haz res before pvp'ing with it. Thank god, because i would have been demolished if i had taken it out into open. Before this, i was using a long range PA FAS with pretty good succes, but the FDL is a totally different ballgame. My biggest problem is manipulating the throttle. On the FAS, it was nice and newbie friendly, as your blue zone is basically your entire throttle. All i had to do was boost FA off and i was good. But the FDL seems a lot more restrictive with the throttle, it turns great within the blue zone, but outside of it it's like turning an Anaconda. How do advanced FDL cmdr's control their throttle while flying FA off? Another problem i had was hitting stuff. The efficient PA's feels pathetically slow compared to the 1750 m/s i was used to before, so much so that i have trouble hitting anything smaller than a python, and even then, i have to focus my flying solely on trying to hit, which leaves little room for evasive manouvers and so on. If anyone wants to share some tips it would be greatly appreciated
Boost boost boost. That's basically it. Especially in FAoff you will hit the maximum turn rates insanely fast, actually there is no ship being faster in acceleration (medium classes). You basically ignore the blue zone by what we call sperg boosting, which is boosting as often as you can. If you now time your boosts correctly then you basically know how to fly the FDL, there isn't much more to it. The rest is just your loadout decision and you have to adapt accordingly, except for the boost part. Boosting in a FDL is never wrong.
Pip management is a must to be successful-- even more so in the FDL.
Make sure you have your lateral thrust mapped, that thing as incredible side-to-side agility.
Make sure you have your lateral thrust mapped, that thing as incredible side-to-side agility.
TheMegaTurnip
Banned
Don't, stay in the FAS.
in my experience it takes big steaming poops all over FDL's in 1v1's, weaker in wing fights, but if you need to teach a lesson to an overly cocky FDL, the FAS is the one to do it.
Phasing and TLB = One exploding FDL, if they've opted for a dual SCB setup, they can, and probably will, pop before shield drop, which is ever so satisfying.
in my experience it takes big steaming poops all over FDL's in 1v1's, weaker in wing fights, but if you need to teach a lesson to an overly cocky FDL, the FAS is the one to do it.
Phasing and TLB = One exploding FDL, if they've opted for a dual SCB setup, they can, and probably will, pop before shield drop, which is ever so satisfying.
I encountered a FAS artist recently by the name of "ethelbert"? This guy is amazing in that thing. He takes on wings all by himself. I've never seen somebody do that in an FDL. Ethelbert killed me once before I could wake out and I respect him for it.
A problem that i'm having is after a boost, i won't have enough power to do another boost, which means the thing stalls like crazy. I have to work on my pip management for sure
Yeah, i've noticed the thing requires throwing your pips around all the time, way different than my FAS where i run static 3 pip to engines and 3 pips to weapons
From my experience, it depends heavily on the FDL pilot and his loadout. I've won quite a few duels against FDl's with 3-4 efficient plasmas, as i can hit way easier, and from further away with my long range weapons. But i've also fought rail focused FDL pilots, and those things are scary as hell, halfway into the fight you find out your internals are wrecked. Good idea with the phasing weapons, i might consider doing that
Yeah i did a 1v1 against his FAS, was tough, he's a good pilot, and his build is very similar to mine. I managed to kill him with 5 % hull left surprisingly
TheMegaTurnip
Banned
Ok so against all logical reason, I got back into the FDL the other day.
How do you not fly it? It literally flies it'self.
Maximum easy mode engaged.
Seriously. Stick to the fas. Fly the FDL for too long it's gonna make you soft as ****.
How do you not fly it? It literally flies it'self.
Maximum easy mode engaged.
Seriously. Stick to the fas. Fly the FDL for too long it's gonna make you soft as ****.
easy answer: You don't...
rather fly a ship for real men: Vulture!
rather fly a ship for real men: Vulture!
Achilles7
Banned
easy answer: You don't...
rather fly a ship for real men: Vulture!
Wow - you manage to get the word "Vulture" into absolutely any thread, don't you?!:| I think you might be obsessed, man!
The FDL is the go-to ship for the CG egomaniac ie. if one needs to win a PvP at all costs for esteem purposes - FDL maximises those chances. I have huge respect for PvPers who think outside the box or actually, those that "think", full stop! Unfashionable ships (outside of gank wings - that doesn't count, I'm afraid!) demonstrate a humility which proves the players in question don't gauge their RL self-worth according to rebuy screen counts & recognise that this is merely a vid game *Shock-horror!:O*.
For example, Xpressive, John Raanes, Rinzler...& even Harry Potter & Monstro regularly use ships that are not optimal for PvP wins, ceteris paribus. I haven't used a FDL in anger since it received its baffling buff - good job, Frontier...yet again!
- which is kind of a waste because it was my ship of choice, pre-Engineers...I spent the lion's share of my game-time learning to fly & fight in that ship. I just lament the way its interesting characteristics (heat, lower manoeuvrability, power issues etc) were smoothed-over for the sake of casual competence expediency (& I say that as an habitually infrequent player). A good analogy for the extant FDL is modern Ferraris...previously for the uninitiated, taking one out in the rain would be an insurance claim & hospital visit in the making (or worse!)...now, one's gran could drive most of them!
Welcome to the scrub club [up]
ps. do you know the Hutton FdL song? Absolutely awesome...
https://soundcloud.com/huttonorbital/fer-de-lance
Hey, I run a Vulture only Player Group, ofc I'm gonna try to put the word "Vulture" in every possible thread
I find it the other way around. The FAS has made me soft. Pitch, roll, yaw at any speed at it still turns on a dime. When i get in the FDL i can't understand the flight model at all
easy answer: You don't...
rather fly a ship for real men: Vulture!
I've just unlocked pacifiers, and i've heard they together with the vulture make a great sawed off shotgun. Might have to try it out
So now 2.8% has become a meme?
Exactly. The Eagle/Vulture/FAS are the 'easy' flight models: very little drift, just point and shoot. The FDL has a sharper agiliy drop off when out of the bluezone, plus is punished far more for dropping pips from ENG (about 20% drop from 4->0 pips)) compared with for example the Vulture (about 10% drop from 4->0 pips).
Arguendo
Volunteer Moderator
That happened one hour after FDev presented that number
Achilles7
Banned
Hey, I run a Vulture only Player Group, ofc I'm gonna try to put the word "Vulture" in every possible thread
There's no such thing as bad publicity, I suppose. [big grin]
TheMegaTurnip
Banned
Lol, I also usually fly a FAS, can't say running no shields made me soft though xD having a saftey bubble on the FDL literally seems to mean utterly unstoppable in nearly every engagement (Ex' being massively outnumberd)