Newcomer / Intro FA Off Videos

I've been trying to master FA off for a few weeks and I'm starting to make progress.
If you're interested, I found this video to be helpful as an introduction:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWrvKoUJOEw&feature=youtu.be


As good as that video is, after learning how to crash land I found myself wanting some exercises with which I could practice and gauge progress.
Once you have viewed the theoretical for a moment the first in this series is very good for exercises.
I've not been through all the ones in this series yet.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6zIXu52RnA


^---- With this video working through some of the exercises made a noticeable improvement in my skills after only 20 minutes. I will be running through the entire program, and I've a great deal of work ahead, but it has been fun trying to creep in and out of the crevices of a rotating station.

I wish I would have had both these series right out of the gate.
Highly recommended.
 
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Awesome, thanks for sharing @Wargfoot. This is something I've worked on a little myself and haven't watched any videos yet. It's very hard to just try to do it without any guidance or advice...lol

I've added these videos to my watch later list and will check them out tomorrow over breakfast.
 
They are both great video series' on FA off. Although Commander Hobs' videos are more accessible. I do urge you to revisit all of Look Inverted's FA off videos.

There is something very special about Look Inverted; there is a deep intelligence and kindness to him which I find extraordinary. He is a paraplegic, too! Because of his personal integrity and intelligence there is an amount of detail to his tutorials that is unsurpassed. I have been reviewing them again and upon each review, I learn something new. They were difficult for me to understand at first, but they are slowly starting to make sense.

It's one thing to be told to "tether" and it's a another thing to be told how some of the possible vectors may interact with your desired flight path. Richard Feynman, a noted physicist, once taught that if you cannot explain a topic to another in easy to understand layman terms, you probably don't have as good a grasp of the topic as you think you do. Look Inverted's videos are very wordy, but I think they are as close to an approximation of Feynman's ideal as you can get. So although tethering is very effective, ultimately, knowing how the vectors are interacting with your ship will probably give you the most joy and nuance as a pilot.

The space dust is invaluable. I like to think of it as a black hole cone of wind, either sucking or blowing. Even though I haven't figured out the subtleties, I am convinced an awareness of its location will make a difference in more difficult maneuvers.

I am currently trying to understand what Look Inverted says when he talks about the trickiness of seamlessly going from flight assist off back to flight assist on. I suck at fixed and I believe the issue may be partially ameliorated by a better understanding of the transition.

He also uses a joystick, which is much more difficult to use FA off compared to relative mouse.

o7
 
After 3 years, never made it work. Every time i tried with Saitek X52, my ship end up spinning uncontrollably.
I am guessing With out using some special software that will act as a stabilizer for Axes, one can never apply same force with the joystick in the opposite directions in order to stabilize the ship when needed, there will always be differences in force applied on the joystick, at least when you use human hands and not software.
I've said this to Wargfoot before, and it bears repeating: there's a significant difference between good control and good enough control. When you're first starting out, it's tempting to chase 0 rotation or a perfect stop. The issue is that it's not necessary, and indeed can be counterproductive.

Additionally, fa- off without modifying the response curve of your joystick can be... difficult. Installing (and correctly configuring) Joystick Curves can make a significant difference to your control by dampening input near the centre while still giving you maximum rotation at 100% deflection.
 
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After 3 years, never made it work. Every time i tried with Saitek X52, my ship end up spinning uncontrollably.
I am guessing With out using some special software that will act as a stabilizer for Axes, one can never apply same force with the joystick in the opposite directions in order to stabilize the ship when needed, there will always be differences in force applied on the joystick, at least when you use human hands and not software.
I have an X52 also, and have been trying some of the 'lessons' published.
Yes, I can still spin out of control more often than not, but yesterday completed my first 'follow' the ring of a station, a major milestone for me!
Tiny movements of the stick - it works, but is hard for me because habit of FA on flying requires the full movement of the stick.

Tiny, baby steps... (thanks to another poster who told me this - I thought it referred to learning) I suspect I'll never 'git gud' but at least with some more perseverence may even present a challenge to the average NPC :)
 
Awesome, thanks for sharing @Wargfoot. This is something I've worked on a little myself and haven't watched any videos yet. It's very hard to just try to do it without any guidance or advice...lol

I've added these videos to my watch later list and will check them out tomorrow over breakfast.
I agree.
I was at a bit of a standstill because I didn't know of any 'exercises' that would be helpful.
I just need a way to gauge progress and full on pirate hunting is too chaotic.

Now that I have a way to gauge progress I'll just practice for 15 minutes every night and celebrate the tiny victories.
 
I've said this to Wargfoot before, and it bears repeating: there's a significant difference between good control and good enough control. When you're first starting out, it's tempting to chase 0 rotation or a perfect stop. The issue is that it's not necessary, and indeed can be counterproductive.

Additionally, fa- off without modifying the response curve of your joystick can be... difficult. Installing (and correctly configuring) Joystick Curves can make a significant difference to your control by dampening input near the centre while still giving you maximum rotation at 100% deflection.
I'll try Joystick Curves this weekend.
I thought TARGET was too much of a [redacted about 3 paragraphs here] to be useful.

It wasn't that I didn't get it working on some level, it was that it just seemed (Okay, I blame myself) to drop settings and bit a little bit buggy.
 
I'll try Joystick Curves this weekend.
I thought TARGET was too much of a [redacted about 3 paragraphs here] to be useful.

It wasn't that I didn't get it working on some level, it was that it just seemed (Okay, I blame myself) to drop settings and bit a little bit buggy.
TARGET.GUI is much easier to use than TARGET. Script. However, TARGET. Script is very powerful and customizable in comparison. Try using TARGET GUI with no deadzones and a curve of 2 for all three joystick axis' at first for flying FA off. However, using a curve will gimp rotation in FA on. It's an interesting compromise.

I have come to accept that due to the nature of pixels and relative mouse options, analog thruster and mouse will give the most accuracy the easiest.
However, there are virtuosi on full Hotas and even gamepad nevertheless.

o7
 
TARGET.GUI is much easier to use than TARGET. Script. However, TARGET. Script is very powerful and customizable in comparison. Try using TARGET GUI with no deadzones and a curve of 2 for all three joystick axis' at first for flying FA off. However, using a curve will gimp rotation in FA on. It's an interesting compromise.

I have come to accept that due to the nature of pixels and relative mouse options, analog thruster and mouse will give the most accuracy the easiest.
However, there are virtuosi on full Hotas and even gamepad nevertheless.

o7
With TARGET GUI I still had problems - I kind of got it to work but then it would lose settings.
What I want is just a little curve on X,Y,&Z with all other settings remaining the same.
I dunno if Joystick Curves can do that or not - I don't want to have to remap all my keys.

That all said, I might just leave things as they are as I seem to be getting better with the default settings.
 
With TARGET GUI I still had problems - I kind of got it to work but then it would lose settings.
What I want is just a little curve on X,Y,&Z with all other settings remaining the same.
I dunno if Joystick Curves can do that or not - I don't want to have to remap all my keys.

That all said, I might just leave things as they are as I seem to be getting better with the default settings.
With Target.script, the script must be open and running at the same time the game is. I am not sure about Target.gui.
 
With Target.script, the script must be open and running at the same time the game is. I am not sure about Target.gui.
Yeah, I worked through all of that.
It would work for one axis, but not another (I've a rudder) and then at times it would lose a setting.
Like I'd map a key for boost and it would work in game but upon reboot that key binding would be lost.

I'll admit that I'm probably to blame for that but after awhile I just wanted to play the #@!$ game.
Maybe I'll give it a shot again this weekend if I'm feeling patient. :D
 
I've said this to Wargfoot before, and it bears repeating: there's a significant difference between good control and good enough control. When you're first starting out, it's tempting to chase 0 rotation or a perfect stop. The issue is that it's not necessary, and indeed can be counterproductive.

Additionally, fa- off without modifying the response curve of your joystick can be... difficult. Installing (and correctly configuring) Joystick Curves can make a significant difference to your control by dampening input near the centre while still giving you maximum rotation at 100% deflection.

Thanks
 
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With TARGET GUI I still had problems - I kind of got it to work but then it would lose settings.
You never told me that!

The problem is that the default save directory for the profile is on the C:\ drive - in Program Files, iirc. This means that TARGET needs to be run as administrator.

Make a folder called TARGET Scripts in your Documents folder, and save the profile there when you initially set it up. You'll never have access rights problems again.

I know, but i am an old school guy, i been taught to never use 3rd Party software when playing MMO's, only the one that comes with your Mouse/Joystick.
Because there is no appeal, no court, no lawyers when it comes to Permanent Bans. Once you are flagged, you lose your account, and in Elite Dangerous - that's years of gameplay gone.
And enhancing your Joystick capability with 3rd Party Software, is like having Auto-Aim in FPS games - same direction, just to less extend in my opinion.

It's also stated so in the Code of Conduct: "the use of automated scripts, programs or services offered outside of the game to generate a player advantage".

This is why i never liked Assist-Off feature - it creates an unfair advantage for players that use 3rd Party Software, against those that don't - that means PvP in this game is already unbalanced - and will always be unbalanced by default.
Then buy a T16000.M - it's a better joystick than the x52 anyway, and comes with TARGET which you can use to set up response curves.

FD do not care one jot about 3rd party software to manage joystick responses. They only care about macros that are used to automate single-item trading (which got nerfed anyway) as s tool for easily manipulating the BGS.

You are quite literally gimping yourself for no reason, especially when the feature comes as standard with most other flight controllers.

Incidentally, I flew FA-off with an x52 and no tweaking for about two years. It's quite doable; the Joystick Curves software just makes things easier for beginners.
 
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You never told me that!

The problem is that the default save directory for the profile is on the C:\ drive - in Program Files, iirc. This means that TARGET needs to be run as administrator.
You're very helpful, but I also hate you a little bit because you've encouraged me to try it out again.
GAH! Damn you and your informative posts!
 
CMDR Hobbs' videos are great as well as Look Inverted!

Also feel free to pop into out discord if you are interested in FA-off as we are all FA-off nutters on there :)
 
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