You've seen the better NPC pilots do it: skid a Cobra 180 around literally in place. Well, its a great maneuver even for us RPC (Real Player Characters), and is a solid dogfighting maneuver as well.
Its a way to literally slam on the brakes, and come to a complete stop, pointing right at your (supposedly more maneuverable) target.
So here's how:
The Setup:
Often I do this immediately after a head on pass... or "joust", immediately after we pass each other. I pull up, he pulls up. His more maneuverable Eagle is going to out turn me... or that's what HE thinks!
The Drift:
As I pull up and see him in my radar 6 o'clock high, I hold the pull up, and apply down directional thrust. This "Departs" my nose from my flight path, and I start to "skid". What this means is that my nose continues to orient towards the enemy, even if my flight direction is still lumbering around more slowly. Normally this is only a little bit useful, but now for the next part:
The Kick:
When I see the target is directly above me in my radar, or maybe a bit forward of above, I continue to hold the pull up (rotating to keep that target centered), and hit the boost! If I was "skidding" before, now I'm literally power sliding... The nose will whip over in a sudden burst of turn rate, completing the 180 turn. I zero the controls when the target is dead center in my sights. Gotcha!
The Stop:
After that powerslide Kick turned my engines directly into the flight direction, the boost effectively negated all my speed as it whipped me around. Like a car chase in an old movie, I just skidded a 180.
The Option:
Now, with no Vector to contend with, I have the option of either fwd thrusting back into the dogfight, OR reverse thrust into a "dare ya to charge my guns!" maneuver.
So, all in all, a handy little abusive maneuver to do to your faithful Cobra, to put the look of dismay or awe into the eyes of your soon to be next victim.
(now lets just hope the Eagle pilots don't read this... )
Its a way to literally slam on the brakes, and come to a complete stop, pointing right at your (supposedly more maneuverable) target.
So here's how:
The Setup:
Often I do this immediately after a head on pass... or "joust", immediately after we pass each other. I pull up, he pulls up. His more maneuverable Eagle is going to out turn me... or that's what HE thinks!
The Drift:
As I pull up and see him in my radar 6 o'clock high, I hold the pull up, and apply down directional thrust. This "Departs" my nose from my flight path, and I start to "skid". What this means is that my nose continues to orient towards the enemy, even if my flight direction is still lumbering around more slowly. Normally this is only a little bit useful, but now for the next part:
The Kick:
When I see the target is directly above me in my radar, or maybe a bit forward of above, I continue to hold the pull up (rotating to keep that target centered), and hit the boost! If I was "skidding" before, now I'm literally power sliding... The nose will whip over in a sudden burst of turn rate, completing the 180 turn. I zero the controls when the target is dead center in my sights. Gotcha!
The Stop:
After that powerslide Kick turned my engines directly into the flight direction, the boost effectively negated all my speed as it whipped me around. Like a car chase in an old movie, I just skidded a 180.
The Option:
Now, with no Vector to contend with, I have the option of either fwd thrusting back into the dogfight, OR reverse thrust into a "dare ya to charge my guns!" maneuver.
So, all in all, a handy little abusive maneuver to do to your faithful Cobra, to put the look of dismay or awe into the eyes of your soon to be next victim.
(now lets just hope the Eagle pilots don't read this...
)
Last edited:
