My flight style: Pure thruster flight (or "who needs FAoff")

[Binary4]

Since i dont own a HOTAS-system (yet), i developed quite some time ago my own style of flying. The control of the throttle on the keyboard was to annoying and i couldnt adapt to the speed of NPCs quick enough. So i started to redesign my keylayout and used the throttle only in SC. My mouse controls still pitch and yaw while my keyboard has bindings for roll and all directional thrusts. As soon i can afford a joystick, roll will be removed from the keybord (makes three axis per hand).

After some testing i found out, you can do quite the same stuff as with FAoff. Since NPCs use the same method, you should already know whats possible (SJA confirmed that in another thread). I use W/S for forward and backward thrust, and yes, its still possible to fly in the sweet spot. The trick for 1-80-manouvers for example is to switch thusters while you turn (you start with forward and pitch up, at around 45° you add downward thust, and so on)

A important fact is that you can boost (nearly) sideways while holding a the thruster in that direction. Ok, it depends on the ship and you still get partial forward thrust but with some pitch i can use that to fly in circles around a target without loosing line of fire (even with fixed).

Anyone else flying that way?

 

[Chann3l]

I've been using thrusters to stay on target my entire time playing up until this evening when I started adding a bit of Fa off just for real quick turns, no fancy 180s to shoot behind while continuing in the same direction or anything like that. I think I found the perfect balance between using thrusters and Fa off to always stay on target.

 

[Bran Tse Mallory]

I tend to use my HOTAS in a similar way. Throttle control is good but thrusters are a god send in combat

 

[Psycho Romeo]

I rarely turn FA off, but there are some great reasons to. Usually when I want to start a rotation using the increased maneuverability of a boost, and need to keep rotating after the boost wears off.
.
You can also 'spin out' in FA on mode by hitting the opposite lateral thruster as the direction you're rotating in (pitch up thrust down). This will cause you to spin out and fly backwards a bit, but effectively it slows your ship down. I do this while hitting the manual thrust and I stay in the sweet spot while performing a pretty crazy turn.

 

[Polusk]

I use W/S for forward and backward thrust, and yes, its still possible to fly in the sweet spot. The trick for 1-80-manouvers for example is to switch thusters while you turn (you start with forward and pitch up, at around 45° you add downward thust, and so on)

Interesting, never tried this!
On my side, my mouse has two lateral buttons that I use for thrusters, so it is really simple for my to manage speed.
W/S (or Z/S for french keyboards ) are for used for up and down thrusters.
And I even use them for speeding a 180 manouvers (push down when you wan to pitch up). Could be interesting to mix both of those tricks!

 

[Binary4]

I rarely turn FA off, but there are some great reasons to. Usually when I want to start a rotation using the increased maneuverability of a boost, and need to keep rotating after the boost wears off.

The problem with FAoff for me is that it sets my throttle to the current speed afterwards. That makes it really annoying to use this style.

 

[Tusken]

Since i dont own a HOTAS-system (yet), i developed quite some time ago my own style of flying. The control of the throttle on the keyboard was to annoying and i couldnt adapt to the speed of NPCs quick enough. So i started to redesign my keylayout and used the throttle only in SC. My mouse controls still pitch and yaw while my keyboard has bindings for roll and all directional thrusts. As soon i can afford a joystick, roll will be removed from the keybord (makes three axis per hand).

After some testing i found out, you can do quite the same stuff as with FAoff. Since NPCs use the same method, you should already know whats possible (SJA confirmed that in another thread). I use W/S for forward and backward thrust, and yes, its still possible to fly in the sweet spot. The trick for 1-80-manouvers for example is to switch thusters while you turn (you start with forward and pitch up, at around 45° you add downward thust, and so on)

A important fact is that you can boost (nearly) sideways while holding a the thruster in that direction. Ok, it depends on the ship and you still get partial forward thrust but with some pitch i can use that to fly in circles around a target without loosing line of fire (even with fixed).

Anyone else flying that way?

Pretty much yea.

I got a hotas so no probs with the thrust and so I still us that and not direct forward or backwards thrusters.

When in actual combat I have at least 1 thruster firing 95% of the time. Only go main thrusters only when I need the speed when a target gets to far away.

I use thrusters so much that the blue zone indicator is useless to me.
The trust output seems to augment the trust indicator and usually when my ship is at ideal manoeuvring speed the indicator is above or below the blue zone.
I just go by sound and feel now.

My preferred manoeuvre is, when someone passes, full reverse, left thrust(dono why left) and end up flying alongside your target but while fully facing it.

While continuously thrusting left you can play with the main thrusters to control your distance to the target and use roll to compensate for the targets evasive manoeuvres.

Obviously there's more finesse to it, but that all depends on the specific situation.