Newcomer / Intro Do you use roll or yaw more often ? esp in combat

[Chrisfs]

Hi, here's a noob question because I still stuck at combat (and will continue to until I get a joystick and then still suck somewhat.)
Do you use yaw or roll (and then pitch) to turn ?
I have my keys set up so that I used roll more often for space flight and yaw for docking and finer movements. This works fine for most things and it's what I am used to. However, doing the combat tutorials, it seemed that using yaw might be better.

What are other people doing ?

 

[Gavski]

A big difference is switching flight-assist off - but it can make you go slightly insane, as you can face one way, travelling in another direction, and find it difficult to stop etc. But for combat it can give you a nice advantage (if you know what you're doing).

I use roll/pitch mostly, keeping throttle in blue-zone for optimum manoeuvrability. Yaw is too slow for most things apart from finer adjustments (as we both use it for) unless in super cruise. I do use yaw to aid targeting ships, a little nudge can help get-on target sometimes.


I also use up/down and left/right thrust a lot - even in combat it can help fox an enemy. Also try a sudden speed boost to break you out of a never-ending, turning-circle fight. Also try suddenly going backwards!

 

[Chrisfs]

I did an empirical test. Using a planet as a reference, it took me 16 seconds to do a 360 degree turn using pitch (up to down), and 30 seconds, nearly double the time, to do a 360 degree turn using yaw. So the roll/pitch method of turning would be fast. However it is more keys and harder to keep track of in the heat of a fight.
So good information but more experiments are needed.

 

[Susimetsa]

I did an empirical test. Using a planet as a reference, it took me 16 seconds to do a 360 degree turn using pitch (up to down), and 30 seconds, nearly double the time, to do a 360 degree turn using yaw. So the roll/pitch method of turning would be fast. However it is more keys and harder to keep track of in the heat of a fight.
So good information but more experiments are needed.

Those sound awfully long turn times - were you under full thrust? Which ship did you fly? They should be noticeably lower if you keep the thrust in the blue area (most manoeuvrable).

 

[the100thmonkey]

Yaw with maneuvering thrusters is really useful for kiting opponents - staying at range with your weapons and firing.

Roll is most useful when you need to turn fast - like when a target or hostile goes past you while boosting.

 

[Aleksej]

I did an empirical test. Using a planet as a reference, it took me 16 seconds to do a 360 degree turn using pitch (up to down), and 30 seconds, nearly double the time, to do a 360 degree turn using yaw. So the roll/pitch method of turning would be fast. However it is more keys and harder to keep track of in the heat of a fight.
So good information but more experiments are needed.

Pitch and roll is what you should use in combat to manoeuver in ED. But I hardly understand why does it mean using more keys.

 

[Lenroc elisav]

Yaw for small adjustments when firing fixed weapons and I need to pinpoint the target or in FSD and at landing to adjust curse a bit, for everything else roll and pitch with thruster in blue area for maximum effect.

 

[Derpster Frey]

Try turning of FA off when pitching, you'll turn much much faster.
When I need to do a 180 quick, I set the throttle in blue, hit FA off, pitch and put my butt down with S. Halfway through, I turn FA back on, reset throttle and accelerate back to blue. This all happens in the span of a second or 2.

The reason for the throttle reset, is that when you have FA off and do a turn like that, you shift the momentum and you'll actually come out of it with your thrusters pushing you backwards.

Haven't tried it in my Asp yet, still on stock thrusters, but my upgraded Cobra could turn on a dime like this.

Disclaimer: I am no aviator, I may not be explaining it right.